


Knights of the Old Republic: The Hundred Year Darkness

by Kenobi97



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Knights of the Old Republic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Knights of the Old Republic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-05-10 12:49:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14737266
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kenobi97/pseuds/Kenobi97
Summary: The Hundred Year Darkness rages on as Jedi and Sith battle for the fate of the Galaxy.  Can one soldier who has lost his memory make a difference in this conflict and bring the war to an end?  Or will dark secrets destroy him?Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, events, or locations within this story.  All are owned by Lucasfilm, Bioware, and any other companies that have ties to the Knights of the Old Republic series.  This is merely a fan fiction inspired by the events of that series.





	1. Prologue

Cal … my name is Cal.  That was the one thing that felt certain and grounded.  The rock that I clung to in an ocean of uncertainty.  My head throbbed as klaxons blared warnings overhead.  Flashing red lights bathed every surface in this darkened room.  With a great effort, I managed to stumble to my feet only to fall flat on my face.  Explosions rocked wherever I was with an incredible ferocity.  Crawling on the ground I made it to the door of this chamber, but found it to be jammed.  I had to act quickly, an electrical fire had broken out inside the room.  I surveyed my surroundings: bed with a series of medical instruments surrounding it, kolto tank … I was in some kind of hospital?  But who would bomb a hospital?  Then there was a chest.  I again found my footing and stumbled over to it fighting against the pain in my legs and the rocking of the room.  I made the short three-meter journey and yet it felt like walking the full length of a grav-ball court.  I opened the plain metal chest and found what must have been my belongings.  A red and yellow uniform … military?  A medkit, that could come in handy.  A metal warblade and a blaster rifle.  And a comm.  As quickly as I could, I stripped out of the loose-fitting gown I had been wearing and strapped on the armor of a soldier.  I strapped the sword into my back holster and clipped the medkit and comm to my belt.  Then I grabbed the rifle and began firing at the door.  As I had suspected, the integrity of the structure had been weakened by whatever attack was occurring, and the door was blown apart within ten blasts from my weapon.

I sunk into a crouch and cautiously made my way to the door looking back and forth down the long corridor.  I saw no enemy forces, and yet I had this … feeling, that something was wrong.  Suddenly, my comm began to blink indicating that someone was trying to reach me.  I grabbed the machine from my belt and said into it, “Hello?  Who is this?”  I heard what sounded like a sigh of relief at the other end.  “Cal!  You’re okay, thank the Force.”  I said, “Yes.  Where are we, and who are you?”  The feminine voice speaking in a core world accent … how did I know that … hesitated and then responded, “They said that your memory might have been affected.  I am the Jedi Knight, Bastila Shan.  And you are a soldier under my command.  We are aboard a Republic warship called the Endar Spire, and we are under attack by a Sith fleet.”  I then responded the only way I figured a soldier would, “What are your orders ma’am?”  I heard an explosion over her comm and then an explanation over the general channel, “Boarders are taking the bridge!  All Republic soldiers to the bridge!”  That feeling that something bad was about to happen had not lessened, but I made my way forward through the hallway at a crouch.  My head swiveled back and forth looking for the slightest hint of an enemy attack.  The corridor’s white walls were pock marked with chunks that had been blown out from explosions.  Fiery debris littered the floor.  And there were bodies too.  Yet their wounds didn’t appear to have been caused by explosions.  Examining the corpses of these fresh faced, raw recruits, I saw piercing wounds that had been cauterized.  But it didn’t look like a blaster wound.  It was certainly curious, but I had to keep moving forward.  The Jedi sounded like she needed help.  As I climbed over a piece of rubble, I lost my balance on my weakened legs and tumbled over painfully.  And I heard an indignant string of beeps.  I looked down to see that I had fallen on top of a battered old astromech model.  I scrambled to my feet and picked up the droid placing it back on its feet.  The next string of beeps and boops sounded appreciative but that may have just been my imagination.  I knelt down and said to the droid, “Hello my little friend, can you take me to the bridge?”  He beeped several times and then took off down the hallway.  I ran after the droid trying to keep my balance as the ship shook from repeated blasts.  It was then that I heard a loud announcement over the ship loudspeaker from the voice of the Jedi.  “All hands abandon ship!  The Endar Spire is lost!”

No sooner had I heard the announcement than a patrol of Sith soldiers rounded the corner.  “Look, it’s another one of these Republic cowards sneaking off from battle like little mynocks,” the officer at the head of their formation said.  They all grabbed their swords from their belts.  I holstered my blaster and drew my sword as well.  Had I taken pot shots at them with the blaster, I may have hit one or two, but they would have been upon me before I could grab the blade.  The sword somehow felt wrong in my hands.  As though it was not the weapon I normally wielded.  Perhaps I had lost my sword in battle and this was a replacement I simply wasn’t used to.  I must have been prone to bravado, because I did not fear being outnumbered five to one even though I should have.  The enemy advanced menacingly, and I fell into a familiar stance.  I folded my left hand behind my back and held the blade forward with my right.  The first Sith soldier boldly stepped forward to attack in his gleaming black armor.  In an instant, he lunged with his blade as one would with a broadsword.  I sidestepped and shoved the blade through his armor and into his chest, dropping the man to the ground in a heap.  Two of his compatriots behind him snarled in fury and attacked.  The one swung her blade high whilst the other swung his blade low in an attempt to remove any option of escape.  However, instinctually I dove between the two blades swinging my own as I went and cutting the two warriors in half.  I landed in a crouch with my blade pointed upward and my other arm extended as if to beckon the enemy forward.  The two remaining soldiers looked at each other and hesitated seeing their compatriots fall, but their anger won out and they yet again attacked.  I deflected blow after blow using economical strikes and sidesteps to avoid their strikes.  Finally, I saw my opportunity.  I stepped out of the way from one of the Sith’s efforts to behead me, only for the strike to land against his companion.  A moment later, he too had been dispatched.  Looking down at the bodies, I was shocked by what had just occurred.  The fighting had just come so naturally, but people didn’t actually move like that.  And even if I was a soldier, seeing such death was still nauseating.  Yet remembering the young Republic soldiers that had been killed, I steeled my nerve for the fights that were to come.

The astromech had been quaking in fear during the fight.  I gestured for it to follow me and it did though somewhat reluctantly.  I yelled at it over my shoulder to be heard over the explosions.  “Do you know where the escape pods are?!”  The astromech beeped what I hoped was an affirmation as we ran down corridors.  The ship had truly been wrecked.  Damage was everywhere.  Fire licked the walls, and exposed wires hanging from the ceilings sparked with dangerous electrical output.  Finally, we reached the escape pod bay.  I hurriedly ran over to the pods.  There was only one left.  I prayed that the access pad still worked.  Thankfully it did.  I punched in the access code … I didn’t know how I knew it.  Then the astromech and I tumbled into the pod.  I pulled the switch, closing the door and ejecting the pod just as I saw a warrior with a blazing red blade running into the bay.  The pod ejected with a violent speed that nearly made me sick to my stomach.  Out the small viewport I saw space and death.  The blackness seemed poised to swallow the small pinpricks of light, distant stars.  And the battle was in its final stages.  The Endar Spire was listing dead in space and threatened to explode at any minute.  There were five large warships surrounding the beleaguered vessel.  And swarms of fighters flew to and fro.  A few of the Republic’s V-shaped fighters remained against the deadly, sloped two-prong Sith fighters, but they were rapidly being destroyed.  They simply fought a losing battle to the end.  If this battle was any litmus test for whatever war I had just fallen into, it is probable that the Republic was in serious trouble.

The pod shot down inexorably towards the planet below.  It was truly a sight to behold.  The entire planet was one giant city.  But my view was obscured when the pod entered the atmosphere.  I strapped myself into the seat as the viewport was dominated by the fiery heat of reentry.  As the craft descended lower and lower, I felt myself begin to get lightheaded from the speed and jostling of the pod.  The fatigue, shock, and injuries I had received had begun to catch up with me.  I had a suspicion that I had never truly quite healed due to my continued presence in the ship’s medical quarters.  The pod crashed down onto a walkway and everything went black …


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, events, or locations within this story. All are owned by Lucasfilm, Bioware, and any other companies that have ties to the Knights of the Old Republic series. This is merely a fan fiction inspired by the events of that series.

_Flashes of blue and green clashing.  The sounds of battle.  A flash of redness and then nothing._   I jolted awake, sweat pouring down my body.  My armor had been stripped off and my back lay against a soft surface.  The memories of my nightmare still flashed in my mind.  It was all so hazy that I couldn’t make anything out.  But my mind knew that it was something terrible.  I slowly propped myself up and surveyed my surroundings, however as soon as I moved I felt a splitting pain in my head and my torso.  I certainly had a bad concussion and at least one broken rib.  But I soldiered on and sat up.  The room I was in was bare.  Austere was probably a more apt description.  There was one bed, two chairs and a chest.  That was all.  Well, besides the door.  I saw the astromech I had travelled with sitting in the corner powered down.  I winced from the pain and realized that there was a good chance that I had been taken prisoner … but prisoners were typically not put on a comfortable bed in a private room.  I doubted that the Sith were gracious wardens of captured prisoners of war.

Then the door whooshed open and I saw a man standing there.  He wore non-descript trousers and a tunic, along with the nerf-leather jacket of a smuggler.  His hair was unkempt, and he had stubble covering his face.  He looked at me startled and said, “You’re up.  T3-M4 and I thought you were a lost cause.”  I raised my eyebrow and said with a bit of levity in my voice, but also wariness, “Well, I’m not easy to kill.”  The man chuckled at that and said, “That’s good to hear soldier.  The name’s Carth Onasi.  Lieutenant Commander in the Navy of the Republic.  The Endar Spire is … was my ship.”  I nodded at this relieved to not have been captured and said, “My name’s Cal … something.  Sorry Commander, I can’t remember much.”  Carth looked pensively at me and said, “After the knock you took to your head that’s not a big surprise.  You are Cal Ashesu, lieutenant in the Republic Navy, designation says you’re a marine.  Your records say that you speak many alien languages and are schooled in advanced combat training.  Hopefully your bumpy landing didn’t knock those useful skills out of your head.”  “Where are we?” I asked quietly.  He stood up pacing around and said, “This is Taris.  We were above this world escorting Jedi Knight Bastila Shan when a Sith fleet attacked our ship.”  My eyes lit up with recognition at the name of the woman who had commed me.  Carth’s eyes narrowed a bit with suspicion and said, “Yeah I figured you’d know the name.  Bastila and her Jedi escorts transferred you to the ship when they came aboard.  They said you were part of the team from their mission.  Never explained what their mission was.”  He paused a bit resentfully and said, “You able to tell me anything about what was so important that it led to the deaths of my crew?”  I shook my head bewildered and said, “I woke up on that ship when the attack happened and all I could remember was my first name.  That’s it.”  I raised myself fully throwing my legs over the bed and resting them on the floor.  As I did so, I gasped in pain but was determined.  I resolutely said, “I’m going to find her.”  I stood up shakily and began walking for the door feeling as though I was being stabbed with each step.  Carth stood in front of me with a look of surprise on his face and said, “Woah, woah, woah.  You’re not going anywhere in your condition.  The Sith are combing the streets for Republic soldiers.  Why do you think I’m wearing this get up.”  I shook my head angrily and said, “That’s exactly why we need to find her.”  I didn’t know why I felt so protective of her.  I rationalized that I must have known her before my memory was lost, so that residual familiarity drove it.  I knelt down by the chest with great effort and began to gather my things.  Luckily, there was a kolto pack in the medkit I picked up.  I placed the liquid against my stomach as I sat momentarily on the chair.  It was a slow process, but I could practically feel my bones healing themselves.  The area would be tender for a long time, and the bones would not be strong unless I had a full kolto tank submersion, but at least I could walk now without every step bringing pain.  I then turned to Carth and said, “Do you have clothes for me?”  He nodded reluctantly and handed them to me.  I put on a non-descript pair of trousers and tunic similar to what he wore.  I would blend in well as any normal civilian.  But then there was the problem of how to carry weapons without giving away my identity as a Republic soldier.

Carth noticed this problem and said, “So where are you going to stick that sword lieutenant?  Up your –”  “I don’t know sir.  I just know that I have to do something.  If what you say is true, Bastila Shan is my commanding officer, and a fellow member of the Republic military.  I owe my very best effort to save her.”  Carth sighed in exasperation and said, “I suppose ordering you to remain in bed isn’t an option?”  My face remained serious, “No sir.”  “Then I’m coming with you.  Someone’s got to be there to save your skin when everything goes horribly wrong.”  Carth had apparently been busy doing things during the three days I had been unconscious.  He had purchased some unmarked blasters on the black market.  Holstered at his hip, no one would think twice about this smuggler character being armed.  I wasn’t so lucky.  My sword and blaster rifle were both obviously military issue and would draw Sith interest immediately.  Luckily Carth thought of that and purchased a pair of blasters for me as well.  I walked over to get my belt and strapped it over my trousers.  With my blasters holstered at my hips, the remaining kolto in the medkit, and my comm all secured on my belt, I was ready to leave.  The door whooshed open as I strode out.  But destiny dictated that I run right into a particular bit of Sith tyranny that I couldn’t ignore.

Four Sith soldiers under the command of a captain were addressing a crowd of assembled aliens.  “Listen up alien scum!  You are illegal squatters in this district and you’re lucky the Sith Empire doesn’t scoop up the lot of you and throw you down to the undercity as Rakghoul chow.  Fortunately for you, we’re far too busy to deal with worthless excuses for sentient life like you.  So, for a reasonable tax of one hundred credits you can stay in your hovels after we’ve thoroughly searched them for weapons and contraband.”  The crowd before him was filled with Duros, Ithorians, Rodians, Quarrens, Twi’leks and a variety of other species.  These assembled wretches looked desperate in their tattered clothing.  I knew … somehow, that one hundred credits would be a fortune to these people.  Many laborers didn’t make that much in a month.  One of the braver Duros yelled out in his native tongue, “Why don’t you Sith scum head back to your own space and leave us alone?!”  I doubted that the Sith captain understood the Duros’ words, but he understood the tone well enough.  He raised his blaster and shot the man through the chest killing him.  He grinned grimly and said to the crowd, “That’s how the Empire deals with smart mouthed aliens.”  It was as if I had left my body and watched the actions of another.  I saw my body spring forward into action.  It raised its blasters and poured repeated shots into the wicked Sith captain.  When the shocked Sith soldiers raised their rifles towards their shoulders and prepared to fire, I had already moved at a sprint.  My body knew where the blasts would be seemingly before they left the barrels of their blasters.  When I reached the Sith ranks, my pistols were a fury shooting the soldiers at close range.  Swords were swung at my body as well as fists.  Blaster pistols were used as clubs to try and pummel me.  My body dodged them all arcing my back, sidestepping, or diving.  In but a few moments, the entire squad was dead at my feet.  Everyone was in shock by the display including myself.

The aliens burst into applause and came forward clapping me on the back.  One of the Duros said to me in his native tongue, “Do not worry my friend, we will hide the bodies.  You have brought justice for our friend.”  Carth walked up with his mouth agape and said, “I guess that advanced combat training was no joke.  You realize what a stupid risk you just took?”  I nodded but just continued walking forward towards the exit of the building.  The corridors were expansive with dozens of doors leading to apartments, but it was easy to tell that Carth had brought us to an alien slum, likely out of a desire to hide, and a desire for cheap lodging.  There was not another human in sight, and the halls were covered in grime and filth.  Nobody was bothering to provide upkeep for this place.  The aliens we passed shook our hands in gratitude for our aid against the Sith soldiers, and some even cried in relief.  Their clothing was tattered and most of them appeared to be malnourished.  Finally reaching the exit to the building, we strode out into the bustling city-planet of Taris.  If I thought the building we just exited was crowded, this street rapidly stripped me of such notions.  Teeming throngs bumped and jostled each other to reach their destinations.  Carth grabbed me by the arm stopping me and said, “We’re in one of the poorer sections of the upper city right now.  We should stay out of the rich neighborhoods dressed like we are.  I think the cantina would be a good place to start making some inquiries.”  I thought about his suggestion and eventually assented saying, “That’s probably the wisest choice.  We’ll attract less attention there.”  The walk to the local cantina through this part of the city was … interesting.  Carth explained to me that even the poorest areas in the upper city were still safer than the lower cities which were dominated by warring swoop gangs.  And yet, plenty of street toughs eyed us as possible targets.  Having a hand on one’s blaster was a good policy in this neighborhood.

The streets were dirty and the duracrete sidewalks were in disrepair from obvious neglect.  Tacky neon signs advertised for numerous shops that teemed along the civilian thoroughfare.  Everything from gambling dens to noodle places.  But Carth and I were focused on our goal and strode purposefully through the throngs.  Along the way, we saw the crashed husk of a pod with salvage droids floating around it.  Carth whispered to me, “That was where I found you.  You were in pretty bad shape when that thing hit the surface.”  Being so close to the pod made both of us quicken our pace, until we finally stood before the cantina entrance.  The neon sign out front said in blazing blue letters, _The Pit_.  I muttered, “Sounds pleasant.”  There was no bouncer in sight as there might have been in front of a more upper-class establishment.  We were able to simply stride inside and were met with the utter chaos and cacophony one finds in any such bar.  Personally, I would sooner drink alone than in such a disorderly place.  But everybody has their own tastes I suppose.  I saw that there was a large central room with a long ovular bar and stools surrounding it.  There were alcoves along the sides for more intimate drinking and dining encounters.  And then there was a large room dominated by a dais.  A Hutt sat atop the throne.  The slug-like species were notorious for producing some of the most brutal crime lords in the galaxy.  The Hutt Crime Empire in the eastern Outer Rim was only rivalled by the Exchange for the title of the most powerful criminal syndicate in the galaxy.  The remainder of the room was full of armed men and women, some of which appeared hurt, but all of which were surrounded by fans and hangers-on.  There was also a large viewport looking down on what appeared to be some kind of arena. 

The evidence all pointed towards there being some kind of fighting pit which hosted competitions.  The name of the cantina was making more sense now.  I whispered to Carth, “The Hutt may have some information.”  Commander Onasi scoffed and said, “Look, if you want to deal with some slimy Hutt, go ahead, but I’m going to check out some leads by the bar.”  I strode into the Hutt’s main room with a confident swagger that I sensed would be necessary to gain a modicum of respect.  The Hutt saw my approach and two Gamorrean guards wielding their traditional battle axes intercepted me.  The Hutt’s booming voice said in Huttese, “You stand in the presence of the mighty Ajuur the Hutt.  Why have you come?”  A protocol droid next to the Hutt was preparing to translate the Hutt’s words.  I didn’t know how I understood Huttese, but I bowed and responded in his language, saying, “Oh mighty Ajuur, I come before you seeking aid and information.”  The Hutt laughed and said in his alien tongue, “Few humans speak my native language, you impress me.  What do you wish to know, and what do you offer in return?”  I said, “I do not have credits to pay you, your excellency, but I do have a strong sword arm.  Sponsor me in the pit fights and I will achieve glory in your mighty name in exchange for information.”  The Hutt bellowed out a laugh again and said, “I like your confidence.  If you wish to fight in the pits, I will allow it.  And if you rise to the top ranking in my name, I will tell you what you seek to know in lieu of the credits I would have given you.”  I bowed low again and said, “I thank you mighty Ajuur.”  I walked over to the rack of weapons picked up two blades.  I then strapped on the armor of one of these pit gladiators.  It felt good to be in the garb of a soldier once more.  I walked over to a hatchway in the floor that slowly lowered me down to the level of the arena.  Looking out from the metal room with a barred door, I saw that the circular arena had a sandy floor.  It looked as though this first fight would only be against one opponent.  I only saw one of the other cages filled with a human inside.  He looked to be a jittery old fellow.  Perhaps a spicehead fighting for enough credits to get his next fix.  An announcer shouted from hidden speakers above, “Ladies and gentlemen!  Prepare yourselves for an interesting one.  In one corner, you have the house underdog –” was it my imagination or had the announcer just snickered, “and local favorite, Deadeye Duncan!  And in the other corner, we have an unknown.  A man with no past, the Mysterious Stranger!”  I chuckled at that.  Not a bad dueling name.  The gates ground open.

Within moments it was apparent why the announcer had snickered.  ‘Deadeye’ Duncan must have been a mocking nickname.  He took several shots at me as I walked towards him over the sand and yet I didn’t even need to dodge.  None came within a meter of me.  With a burst of speed, I leapt through the air and used the butt of one of my swords to club the old man on the head.  I knew the correct amount of force to knock him out and give him a nasty headache the next day without doing any permanent damage.  The announcer whistled and said, “Well the Stranger has nerves of steel that’s for sure, but it’s no surprise that he defeated ole Duncan!  Are you all ready to see if it was a fluke?!”  The crowds up behind the viewscreens cheered.  I made my way back into the cage as the door lowered and waited for my next opponent to arrive.  The fellow that was lowered next had a hard face.  He seemed about my age … though I didn’t know my exact age, mid-twenties with jet black hair and a wicked grin.  I could tell that this fight wouldn’t be a simple cake walk as the last one had been.  The announcer shouted out our new introductions.  “Ladies and gentlemen, this one looks to be a treat!  In one corner, you have a tried and true veteran of the ring.  A master with both blasters and blades, even a career ending injury couldn’t keep this man down!  It’s Gerlon Two-Fingers!”  “A one-handed fighter,” I muttered to myself.  “And in the opposite corner, you have the newest fighter in our ring!  Was his victory over ole Deadeye a fluke?  Or is he the real deal?!”  The cages rose and Gerlon instantly began to pour fire towards me before I even had left the cage.  This guy was an actual dead eye.  I sidestepped the blasts and dove into a rolling crouch to exit the cage.  I grabbed my two swords from the sheathes on my back and darted around the edges of the arena.  In addition to survival, I realized that putting on a good show would make the spectators happy.  Which would make my Hutt patron happy.  He needed to sell tickets and rake in gambling money after all.  Gerlon couldn’t keep up with the speeds I was running.  The blaster bolts were all hitting the ground and walls behind where I had run.  Finally, I charged towards the center of the ring with my blades outstretched.  Gerlon holstered his blaster and gripped the blade in his left hand.  He swung right, which I sidestepped.  He swung left, which I ducked.  He kicked out, which I grasped and used as leverage to trip him up.  Before he could recover, I had my swords at his throat.  And I said calmly yet firmly, “Yield.”  His neck bobbed as he gulped, and he reluctantly said, “I-I yield.”  I silently returned my swords to their sheathes and walked back to the cage.

The announcer sounded shocked when he said, “Well there you have it folks!  The Mysterious Stranger is for real!  It may be time for Gerlon to throw in the towel after a loss like that!”  The gate to my cage lowered yet again as I waited for the next opponent.  The next person lowered was a blond-haired woman.  She would have been quite beautiful were it not for the icy expression on her face.  She wore beautifully crafted armor with yellow and silvery white detailing.  The gates rose, and she walked to the center of the ring with a stoicism to her that still managed to feel menacing.  She gestured for me to join her and I did.  Then, we both bowed to each other with respect.  The announcer said, “Ladies and gentlemen!  We have two rising stars battling each other today!  The Mysterious Stranger who becomes more impressive with each passing duel.  Nobody knows the strength of a man with no past!  And here is Ice our resident Mandalorian warrior!  Her blood runs as cold as her name.  A born fighter, she has battled for her place without abandoning her honor!  Who will triumph?!”  She reached for her blade as did I.  I fell into a defensive stance as did she.  For a few moments, we eyed each other as if planning out moves in a holochess match.  Simultaneously as though it were planned, we both surged forward, and our two blades clanged with sparks.  She made a swipe towards my head which I leapt away from, rolling as I went.  Somehow, I knew that she had readjusted and made a slash towards my retreating figure.  But I batted the attack back with one of my blades without even looking backwards.  I continued running towards the wall of the arena and leapt onto it doing a flip and turn in the air to face my opponent.  Ice smirked at me and her eyes glinted with something I interpreted as an animalistic excitement at having a talented opponent.  I could admit to myself that my blood was pumping a bit faster as well.  I felt my booted feet running across the sand as we both charged at each other.  Our blades met again and again.  Strike.  Parry.  Block.  Feint.  Attack.  Sidestep.  Dodge.  Attack.  The moves blurred together like a dance.  I blocked out the noises from the crowd and announcers to just focus on the combat.  Had I not, I could have been sliced in two.  The moment I won was honestly due to chance.  Ice’s footwork was slightly thrown off and with a leg sweep I knocked her to the ground.  With my sword at her throat, I did not ask Ice to yield.  I simply held my hand out to help her up. She looked at me with surprise and something else.  Respect.  She took the hand.  After she stood, I handed her sword back to her, and we bowed to each other.  Then the two of us walked back to our respective cages.  The announcer and crowd had been silent for long moments.  It was then that the announcer said, “What a display of honor!  The Mysterious Stranger wins yet again!  He’s truly proving himself to be a contender ladies and gentlemen!”  The crowd burst into applause.

The next opponent to be lowered was an old twenty-year veteran of the sport named Marl.  I defeated him despite his status as a top contender.  Next came a jittery looking Rodian named Twitch.  He was apparently the local champion.  He fell in under a minute.  I had no doubt that Ice would eventually rise in the ranks to become the top warrior in this fight club.  She was by far the most competent warrior of them all.  After winning against every contender they could throw at me, I pushed the button in my cage to raise myself back into the Hutt’s throne room.  Fans mobbed me asking for holoimages with me or autographs.  I brusquely walked past.  The fact that I was so popular after fighting here for a day showed that these fans were a fickle bunch.  Thankfully, the Gamorreans kept them back as I concluded my business with the Hutt.  If Hutts were able to smile, this one was.  I bowed and said, “Mighty Ajuur.  I have fought and bled for your glory.  And I triumph in your name.  I humbly ask that you grant my request for information.”  The Hutt bellowed with laughter and said, “Yes my champion.  I will tell you what you wish to know.  And for your triumph, in addition, I will grant you a boon of five hundred credits.  Let nobody say that Ajuur is not a generous Hutt.”  I bowed lower and said, “You are quite generous indeed Mighty Ajuur.  I thank you.  The information I seek is the whereabouts of the Republic soldiers that have fallen from the sky, and in particular, one female officer of high rank.”  The Hutt thought for a moment on my question and said, “I have heard of soldiers and officers being captured by the Sith, but I have also come to know of a female officer captured by the Black Vulkars.  A swoop gang in the Lower City.  Real scum.  They may have the woman you seek, my champion.”  I bowed low again and said, “I thank you again Mighty Ajuur.  Should you need me as your champion again you need but ask.”  I grabbed my credits from one of the Hutt’s Twi’lek servants and strode out of the room with a grin on my face.

I saw Carth leaning against a wall looking at me annoyed.  Before I could even think to gloat, he said, “Not.  One.  Word.”  We walked from the cantina in silence and did not speak until we reached our safe house.  When we got there he said, “I can tell by your smug face that the Hutt told you something of value.  But did you really think it was necessary for you to make such a spectacle of yourself?!  Mysterious Stranger?  Are you trying to lead the Sith right to us?”  I crossed my arms waiting for his tirade to end and said patiently, “Do you think the Sith will expect Republic fugitives to employ themselves as pit fighters?  I simultaneously got us vital information, made us five hundred credits, and hid in plain sight, all in one afternoon.”  I took a breath and then said, “Even though you didn’t ask, it is likely that Bastila is in the Lower City.  Probably the prisoner of a Swoop Gang called the Black Vulkars.”  Carth groaned and said, “Damn.  The Swoop Gangs are vicious and there are only the two of us against an entire army of cutthroat criminals.”  I grinned and said, “Yeah, it almost seems unfair for them doesn’t it.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, events, or locations within this story. All are owned by Lucasfilm, Bioware, and any other companies that have ties to the Knights of the Old Republic series. This is merely a fan fiction inspired by the events of that series.

As the sun lowered on the world, streetlights and yet more neon billboards made up for the approaching darkness.  Carth had gone out on what he said was a factfinding mission to find out more about these Black Vulkars.  I settled down on the bed in a seated position and crossed my legs.  Breathing deeply, I collected my thoughts for the first time since I woke up on the Endar Spire.  Running over the recent events of the last few days, I thought back on all the unknowns about the mission I had, and about myself.  I was apparently a soldier.  I had impressive combat prowess that had apparently stemmed from advanced training according to Carth.  I also understood and spoke many alien tongues.  Apparently, I was an asset on some clandestine mission under the command of a Jedi Knight, Bastila Shan.  The concept of what a Jedi was, seemed so familiar … and yet I couldn’t grasp it.  As though there was some kind of mental block I had placed on the information.  I was willing to commit acts of violence, and yet those actions weren’t simply senseless.  I hadn’t killed any of the pit fighters.  And the deaths of the enemy soldiers I had fought had discomforted me greatly.  Ice’s sense of honor greatly impressed me, and I hoped that I held to a similar set of ideals.

When I finished my little session of contemplation, I set to work mulling my next steps.  Tomorrow I would head down into the Lower City with or without Carth.  Despite my bravado, I knew that taking on an entire Swoop Gang by myself was somewhat suicidal.  And would likely not rescue Bastila.  On the walks to and from the cantina I had heard bits and pieces of gossip.  Talk of a gang war in the Lower City.  The Hidden Beks were apparently foes of the Black Vulkars, and their leader was known to be of a more honorable sort than most gang members.  I resolved that any attempt to free Bastila would be helped by my making an alliance with these Beks.  Obviously, such a plan had its own risks.  The Beks could shoot me on sight for heading into their territory.  But if I had to give my life to save another’s, I figured that there were worse ways to go out.  I would need a lot of sleep for the next day’s events, so I fell asleep early.  Carth didn’t come in until the middle of the night, which roused me, but I chose to appear to remain asleep and see what the Commander did.  He seemed like a good enough fellow, but he also didn’t seem too happy with the Jedi role in the ambush of his crew.  My wariness was unfounded in this instance though.  He simply laid out on the chair and fell asleep.

The next morning, I prepared for war.  I had walked out of Ajuur’s place with the armor and weapons I had used in the fighting pit.  Nobody had objected.  So now, I had the weapons and armor necessary, which were not Republic military issue and immediately recognizable by the Sith.  Donning my new armor and equipping my blasters and swords into their respective holsters and sheathes, I grabbed the comm and medkit, tucking those items back onto my belt.  Carth watched me as I prepared and said, “Face it kid, this fight’s a lost cause.”  I shook my head at him resolutely and said, “Commander Onasi, with all due respect, you are not my commander.  Jedi Knight Bastila Shan is, even if I can’t remember her.  She’s in trouble, and I intend to help her, with or without you.”  The older man looked at me and said, “Look son, I’ve given everything for the Republic.  My home, my … family,” he choked up a bit at that.  “My crew, and my ship.  Why the hell should I give up anything else?”  I stared at him with a hard expression and said firmly, “Because it is the right thing to do.”  I walked through the door without bothering to see if he’d follow.  He did.  We made our way through the streets when we heard an announcement blare out on all of the holoscreens that surrounded the bustling thoroughfare.  “Citizens!  Until all Republic terrorists are found on Taris, the planet is under immediate quarantine!  Any ship trying to leave will be shot down by the recently arrived Sith Fleet!  Adjust your travel plans accordingly and bring forward any information on these Republic cowards to end the quarantine sooner!”  I cursed under my breath and said, “Well that makes our plan a bit more difficult.”

Now, even if we managed to free Bastila the entire planet would be searching for us, and we’d have no simple way to get offworld.  Not to mention the fact that the Black Vulkars were likely to simply sell Bastila to the Empire for some kind of reward.  But I wasn’t going to let that stop us.  It just moved up the time table.  The lift ride down to the Lower City was rough.  It was easy to tell that this turbolift wasn’t well maintained due to its seedy destination.  The walls were covered in grime and graffiti.  There was all manner of refuse and bodily substances on the floor.  But I simply tried to put my surroundings out of my mind and mentally prepare for the horrors that awaited below.  When the turbolift doors opened I was not disappointed.  Despite being daytime, the Lower City was bathed in darkness and the artificial neon light which accompanied it.  Walking off the lift, the grime and refuse only got worse.  Buildings were dilapidated shells, prostitutes sold their services on street corners, spice heads wandered around in a stupor, and armed groups of males and females of a dozen different species stood hanging around souped up swoop bikes in obvious gangs.  The best way to move forward was simultaneously walking at a quick yet not hurried pace.  Swaggering and yet not too arrogantly as to invite challenge.  Not making eye contact and yet not looking away.  It was a delicate balance that could lead to attack if not performed correctly.  Thankfully luck or skill was with us on this day, because we did perform so correctly, or our armor and weapons convinced the street toughs to go find easier prey.  The Bek’s ‘hideout’ was a prominent focal point of the region, as was that of the Black Vulkars.  Both looked more like fortresses than anything else.  I walked boldly up to the base of the Hidden Beks and was met by an angry looking woman in full combat armor, sporting a heavy-duty blaster rifle.  She snarled at me and said, “Better get out of here if you know what’s good for you outlander scum!”  I raised my head defiantly and said, “I need to talk to your leader about a mutually beneficial partnership.  Do you want to be the one who deprived him of this opportunity?”  The guard hesitated and finally decided begrudgingly to let me in, but only after disarming me of blades and blasters, as I expected.  I said with a smirk, “I’ll be wanting those back later.”  She scoffed at that and shoved me inside the hall.  Carth and I had agreed to split up.  He was waiting outside several blocks away, so the two of us could not be neutralized simultaneously.

Guards surrounded me and roughly ushered me before an older dark-skinned gentleman with milky white eyes.  I had heard something about their leader being blind.  I said respectfully, “Hello Gadon Thek, leader of the Hidden Beks.  I come making a request and bearing an offer.”  He tilted his head indicating that he was listening and gestured with his hand for me to continue.  “I need help breaking someone out of the custody of the Black Vulkars.  She is very valuable to their organization as a prisoner, and you would be depriving them of this boon.  Additionally, I would be willing to pay for any assistance you could provide in this matter.”  The blind man grinned and said, “Well any enemy of the Vulkars is a friend of mine, but you ask a lot wanting me to risk the lives of my people.  Why should I?”  I said confidently, “Because, you have been seeking entrance to the Black Vulkar base for months now.  This is the key for you to wipe them out and conquer the sector.  On top of that, I am appealing to your sense of honor in rescuing an innocent woman.  On top of that, I offer my services in battle as Ajuur’s top pit fighter in the coming battle to take the base.  On top of that, I am offering a five hundred credit reward for this assistance.  And finally, the most important thing, is the fact that I have an astromech unit.  It is military grade and will be able to slice into whatever data caches and security doors we need to bypass.”  I paused to catch my breath and watched for the gang leader’s reaction.  He smirked at my long list of reasons and held up his hands to stop my tirade.  “You make some excellent points boy.  Fine, you’re right that I need to wipe out these Vulkar scum once and for all.  You and your droid might give me an edge.  So, okay.  You and whatever allies you can muster, can sleep in the base tonight.  We attack at dawn.”

That night, Carth and T3 reluctantly entered the base fearing a trap.  Yet I knew better.  I was awake half the night cloistered with Thek and his lieutenants.  “No!” I raised my voice in frustration.  “The smartest way forward isn’t to announce our intentions by riding up on hotrod swoops!  That’s why you haven’t been able to win so far.  Stealth and strategy will win the day.”  A female Twi’lek, apparently nicknamed Scorch for her favored use of flame throwers in battle, scoffed and said, “What do you know of Lower City tactics?”  I looked her straight in the face and said, “I’ve been in combat situations on over a dozen worlds.  I’ve fought every manner of foe from pirates, to slavers, and even the Sith.  If you go riding in on swoops as they will obviously expect, they can set up roadblocks, and mines, and turreted defenses.  Yet, if we take them by surprise moving through buildings and dropping down on them from above, we can catch them off guard.  We’ll be upon their gate before they know what has happened.”  I may have fibbed about that first part … or I may have not.  I really don’t know.  The lieutenants muttered to themselves in disgruntled tones, but Thek held up his fist and said, “To win this, we will need the outlander’s unorthodox tactics.”  I grinned and then said, “Actually, I just realized something.  Your lieutenants are right.  They can use their swoops to attack the front.  They are to attack, realize they are out matched and then retreat.  The Vulkars will be distracted.  And with any luck, they will smell blood in the water and charge after you, leaving their rear flanks open, and leaving the gates unguarded.  The lieutenants grinned and the Twi’lek said, “Okay, that’s a plan I can get behind.”

The next morning’s fight was looking to be an interesting one.  Thek was leading half of the clandestine force on the right flank.  I was leading the clandestine force on the left flank along with Commander Onasi, and Scorch was leading Thek’s swoop pilots in the feint which would capture the enemy’s attention.  Making our way through the dilapidated buildings near the Black Vulkar hideout was easy for our forces.  Carth and T3 headed up the formation beside myself.  These Hidden Beks were disorganized.  I definitely had been a soldier before I lost my memory, because their lack of discipline was slightly maddening.  I was used to fighting beside Republic regulars after all.  We were in position around dawn as Thek had wanted.  And we waited.  I had the best shots take up sniper positions.  We used crates and pieces of old metal to create barricades.  This protected our rear from the unlikely possibility of an ambush.  The rest of the men and women simply hunkered down and prepared.  We didn’t have long to wait.  Within a half hour, Scorch and her swoop raiders thundered up the street shooting their blasters in the air riotously.  As they got closer to the Vulkar base, the enemy opened up on them with automatic blaster cannons.  Beks fell left and right, but they returned fire killing many of the Vulkars as well.  Finally, after suffering some heavy losses, the Beks retreated.  The Vulkars followed.  And we attacked.

Our forces rappelled down the sides of the building on ropes and formed up on the ground.  I leapt from the rope at the head of the troops and we charged towards the gates.  A token Vulkar force remained, but we had caught them off guard and quickly silenced their gun emplacements.  The battle was a brutal one however.  My blades ran red as we hacked and slashed through the vicious enemy fighters.  At one point, Carth and I found ourselves back to back.  He used his pistols to fell enemies from afar, whilst I cut down enemies up close.  Meanwhile, T3 who had used his repulsors to gently float down from the buildings, was cracking into the Vulkar base.  When the Vulkars who had been pursuing the Beks realized what had happened and turned around on their swoops to engage our forces, the Bek swoops turned around and ambushed the Vulkar rear lines.  Caught between the two fronts, the Vulkars fell in droves.  And then the doors to the enemy base slowly opened due to T3’s patient work.  Whilst the Beks dealt with the Vulkars outside of the base, I plunged within the bunker to find Bastila.  I met many gang members but didn’t even pause as I ran through the halls.  My blade was in constant motion as I leapt and dove.  The air was scorched with the plasma from blasters, but I simply dispatched some of their wielders and passed the others, hoping for the Beks to deal with them.

I should have been very lost in this complex.  I was simply charging forward without thought, which was unlike me … or so I could gather.  And yet, I felt as though I were being pulled in a certain direction.  The maze of corridors seemed like a straight path.  The only path.  Finally, I stood before a door.  I knew that Bastila was behind it.  I pushed the door control button and it opened with a swoosh.  Inside, I saw a Rodian holding a blaster to Bastila’s head.  He said in Huttese, a common tongue in the Outer Rim, particularly amongst criminals, “Hello Republic scum.  I knew only some outside influence could rally the Beks like this.  So, put down those blades or your pretty commander here gets it.”  Immediately, I complied throwing my blades to the ground.  The Rodian seemed to grin at that.  “Smart choice.”  I then said with a desperation in my voice that even I was surprised by, “Take me as a hostage instead.  Just let her go.”  In that instant, the Rodian made as if to pull the trigger.  I threw my hands out and yelled, “No!”  The bolt never left the blaster.  The Rodian seemed frozen.  Bastila kicked back against him and threw herself away just as the blaster exploded in the Rodian’s face, killing him.  Bastila shakily got to her feet and I rushed over to her to help.  “Ma’am are you okay?”  Bastila nodded hesitantly and said, “C-Cal?  How did you find me?”  I replied, “Commander Onasi and I followed leads on your location down to the Lower City.  From there we just needed to get some allies to help free you.  It was a lucky thing that the blaster jammed when it did.”  Bastila looked startled but then worked her face into a calm mask with practiced ease.  She said, “Yes.  Quite lucky.  I thank you for the rescue leftenant.  We should leave this place and begin making plans for escaping this world.”  She picked up her weapon from the corpse of the Rodian.  It was a long metal tube, though deadly light would emanate from it as a beam.  I nodded and saluted.  “Yes ma’am.”  I escorted her back the way I came, and we met the Beks marching into the base.  Gaddon Thek was giving a rousing victory speech to his men.  Not wishing to stick around any longer even with a temporary ally, Bastila and I collected Carth and T3 and surreptitiously made our exit.

We were back inside the alien ghetto in the Upper City.  An argument had broken out as soon as there was durasteel between my companions and the rest of the planet.  Carth fired the first salvo.  “Well _Master_ Jedi, want to tell me what mission was so important that it cost the lives of my crew, and lost the Endar Spire?!”  Bastila who so far had held a fairly warm countenance glared at Carth and said, “That is not at your level of clearance _Leftenant_ Commander Onasi.  And you should remember that in times of war, I am your commanding officer, as is the role of any Jedi Knight.”  I sighed and said, “Forgive me, but I don’t think fighting each other is going to get us off this rock.”  They both looked up at me in surprise at my bold statement and nodded reluctantly.  I turned to Bastila and said, “The Sith are setting a blockade around the planet.  They have quarantined the world, only allowing ships with a special access code to leave.  They say that they are trying to find the remaining Republic fugitives that escaped the Endar Spire.”  The Jedi looked pensively at that predicament and said, “Well … obviously we need a ship.”  Carth snorted at that and replied, “Aye, aye Admiral Shan.  You’re really getting the hang of this.”  She glared at him and said, “We can always steal a vessel if we have to, though I’d prefer to not take the ship of an innocent.  The codes will pose an issue though.”  I nodded but then thought back to events on Taris when I first awakened.  I grinned and said, “I may have a plan for that.”

Later that day, Carth, Bastila, and I strode into the Sith base with heads held high, gleaming black armor covering our bodies, and the blaster rifles and blades of an Imperial soldier.  These items had all been acquired and hidden by our alien friends.  Carth muttered, “This will never work.”  We were confronted by an officer as we walked towards the barracks.  “Troopers, your unit has been missing for days now.  And where is your officer?”  I stepped forward and said contritely, “Sir … we were ambushed by a gang of thugs.  They killed our officer and took us captive to sell as hostages.  We just managed to escape and have come to report for disciplinary action.  We failed.”  The officer frowned at us and said, “Report to the command center for a debrief.  We’ll need to make an identification of these street tuffs.  A few other units haven’t reported in.  It is possible that these low-level criminals are actually Republic soldiers.”  I nodded feigning relief and said, “They did seem particularly well-organized sir.”  The three of us saluted and continued walking towards the command center.  The belly of the beast was within a giant complex.  We passed platoons of Sith troops marching, armories full of weapons, communications rooms filled with workers and technicians, barracks with soldiers in all states of undress, and prisons.  There were lines of cells with beings of every species one could imagine jammed in.  But we just passed by not wanting to give ourselves away.  We simply weren’t able to help.  Not now.  Finally, we reached the sign that stated in clear aurabesh letters, _Command Center_.  The three of us used our key cards and swiped them in the door.  We weren’t a high enough rank for the door to open automatically.  Some officer in the room was looking through a surveillance camera and would buzz the door open.

We were promptly buzzed in and confronted by an officer, whose rank plaque designated him as a Commander.  The man stood straight backed with a stern expression on his face.  He had steel grey eyes and a mustache that dominated his face.  “Soldiers, I hear you’ve been through a trying time.”  We saluted, and I said hesitantly, “Y-yes sir.”  He nodded and said with a wicked grin, “For your failures against an enemy that we have been hunting for days now, you will be sent for … retraining.”  The way he said that was incredibly ominous.  I assumed there was some kind of torture involved.  Luckily, we wouldn’t have to find out.  I drew out my rifle and sent a bolt through his chest.  Carth and Bastila similarly began firing on the other soldiers and officers in the room, taking them by surprise.  Within moments we were in control of the complex’s inner center.  Luckily, this portion of the building was soundproofed to keep out any unwanted observation.  I had heard from rumors on the streets that this building had been the headquarters for a private security firm before the Sith had invaded.  I rushed over to the computers and beckoned for T3 who had been following close behind us, to plug into the system.  T3 beeped a series of happy sounds, which I could only interpret as his success.  Bastila grinned and said, “I knew you could do it T3.”  I looked at her incredulously and said, “You can understand that thing?”  She nodded and said, “He’s my astromech.”  With the passcodes inside our metal companion, we calmly walked out of the base like a squad of soldiers simply going on a patrol.  When we were clear I murmured to Bastila, “Now, how are we going to get a ship.”  Suddenly, a familiar female voice said behind me, “I could help with that.”

Turning around, I saw the smirking form of my former opponent in the fighting pits.  Ice, the Mandalorian.  I chuckled under my mask, which gave it an oddly mechanical sound and said, “Ice.  You say you have access to a ship?”  She nodded and said, “I do indeed … Stranger.  And if you have takeoff codes, I think we can come to some arrangement.”  An hour later, we had made it to Ice’s hanger bay.  We had luckily found a secluded bit of alley that allowed us to strip out of our stolen Sith uniforms.  Now in the civilian clothes we had worn underneath, we stood eyeing the Mandalorian vessel.  It was a utilitarian ship, a freighter.  Yet it seemed to have been modified with heavy armaments to discourage attack.  It was a sight to behold.  She smirked and said, “Welcome to the Ebon Hawk, my pride and joy.”  I nodded at it appreciatively and said, “Thank you for the ride off world.”  She chuckled and said, “Hey, I couldn’t leave this rock if it weren’t for you all.  So, thank you.”  Suddenly, the entire hanger shook violently.  Looking out through the open bay door, all we could see was a rain of plasma coming from the sky, devastating the city.  My mouth was agape in utter awe and horror.  It was Ice who put words to what we were all thinking.  “The Sith are bombing Taris!  We need to get out of here!”  We ran up the gangplank as quickly as we could.  The world was falling apart around us.  Skyscrapers were cleaved in half as the lives of million, perhaps even billions were snuffed out.  Ice made it to the cockpit despite the awful shaking of the ship and began punching buttons.  The ship began to lift from the floor of the hangar, far too slowly.  Then it jetted forward, throwing me into a side wall of the corridor.  Ice piloted the vessel as only an expert could.  She dodged every incoming blast and broke atmosphere entering the void of space.  Bastila had strapped in to the copilot’s seat, whilst Carth and I were trying to find a place to strap in.  Until Ice yelled back, “Sith fighters incoming!  Man the turret!”

I sprinted through the ship, walking on walls and ceilings to keep my balance as the ship spun in dizzying evasive maneuvers.  Finally reaching the turret pod, I could see out the transparisteel viewscreen to observe incoming fighters.  Settling into the battered seat and strapping in, the turret controls were fairly straight forward.  There was simply a two-handed toggle to aim, and triggers to fire.  For the next twenty minutes, I swung the toggle back and forth firing at the enemy vessels.  Each powerful shot felt like it was dislocating my shoulders.  But I continued to pour on fire, destroying fighter after fighter.  But our shields wouldn’t hold out forever, and despite my best efforts to take out oncoming ships quickly, the Ebon Hawk continued to rock with explosions against its hull.  Just as I was sure we would be overcome, I saw the brilliant streaking of white stars.  We shot forward into the blue expanse of hyperspace.  I breathed a sigh of relief, slumping into the seat.  Over the intercom I heard Ice breathing heavily as she said, “Nice … shooting.”  The last few days events had caught up with me.  And my wounds, whatever they were, really hadn’t healed.  I slumped down in the gunner’s seat, though from exhaustion or injury I did not know.  And it did not seem to matter as the blackness of sleep overtook me.


	4. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, events, or locations within this story. All are owned by Lucasfilm, Bioware, and any other companies that have ties to the Knights of the Old Republic series. This is merely a fan fiction inspired by the events of that series.

_Blue turning to red.  Then flashes of red clashing with green.  The image clarified slightly.  A masked warrior wielding some kind of weapon.  It looked like pure light.  It leapt towards a woman … Bastila.  She raised her green light blade to block the attack.  The strikes increased in ferocity as the two warriors dueled.  The vision disappeared and was replaced by a pyramid surrounded by ash and petrified corpses.  One word burnt itself into my mind.  Malachor._   I jolted awake in a cold sweat and immediately felt a terrible pain throughout my body.  Bastila was instantly by my side and gently eased me back down onto the bed I was laying on.  She smiled weakly and said, “We thought we had lost you for a moment, Ca- Leftenant Ashesu.”  I groaned and said, “What happened?”  “Your injuries never healed entirely on the Endar Spire.  You had a lot of internal wounds.  You have been walking around for days held together solely by will.  We applied kolto, and we are taking you to a Jedi Enclave.  They’ll help treat you there.”  I heard a catch in her voice as though she were worried.  I put on a grin and said, “Don’t worry, I feel better already.  Strong enough to rip the ears off a Gundark.”  The Jedi laughed a bit at that, but never dropped the look of worry from her countenance.  I winced from pain but tried to hide it, and then asked, “How did I get hurt?  I don’t remember anything from before the Endar Spire.  Except for little memory flashes.”  Bastila seemed troubled by what I said.  She then replied, “What exactly are these flashes?”  I began describing the most recent one.  “A masked warrior with a red blade fighting you.  And some pyramid.  It was surrounded by death.   And a word.  Malachor.”  Bastila’s face turned pale white.  She said, “You shouldn’t be able to remember those things … you weren’t even on Malachor.”  I shrugged and winced at the pain in my shoulders from firing that monstrous cannon, “Well I can’t really explain it.  They’re just nightmares I guess.  I probably had heard of whatever these events were and imagined them in my mind.”  Bastila nodded a bit and said, “This … could be true.  But I have to wonder if … you may have the powers of the Force.”  I laughed out loud at that one.  “Me?  Force-sensitive?  I’m just a soldier.”  Bastila maintained a stern expression and said, “The Force flows through all lifeforms, and all lifeforms have the potential to be gifted with the powers of the Force.  Your abilities mark you as a possible candidate, and these … dreams point to that even further.”

I asked curiously, “Who was the masked warrior, and why were the two of you fighting?”  Bastila throat bobbed as though she were swallowing something bitter.  “The warrior you saw was Darth Revan.  Once the Dark Lord of the Sith.  I was on a mission to capture him and bring him before the Jedi Council for judgement.  You were a member of the team I boarded his flagship, The Revenant, with.  We fought our way up to the bridge, but the Dark Lord used the Force to toss you all like rag dolls.  You were slammed into a wall with great force, resulting in your wounds.  I then took on the Sith alone.  It was a ferocious fight, and it was far from certain that I would prevail, until a terrible explosion burst onto the bridge of the ship.  His own apprentice, Lady Malak, had turned her guns against her master’s ship hoping to kill both Jedi and Sith.  It is the way of the Sith to be treacherous and pursue self-advancement.  Darth Revan was killed.  I checked the vital signs of the rest of your squad, and you were the sole survivor.  I then helped you aboard our boarding vessel and we escaped before the flagship was destroyed.”  My breath caught in my throat and I said, “Thank you for saving me … what happened on Malachor.”  Bastila shook her head and said, “I don’t want to strain you.”  She stood up and said, “You need your rest.  Just … stay calm until we reach Ilum.”  I visualized an icy landscape, and I didn’t know why.

It wasn’t long until I lost consciousness again.  My mind was plagued by the same images and nightmares.  And muffled as though across a great sea, I heard arguing.  “What was your mission, and what role does he play in it?  I’m not buying the story you’re selling!”  “You are out of order Commander!  The business of the Jedi is our own!”  “Will both of you be quiet?  Let the man rest.  He’s been through a lot.”  I couldn’t understand why Bastila would hide this information from Carth.  She had told me after all.  Perhaps he didn’t have high enough security clearance … but I certainly wouldn’t either.  A restful sleep was elusive.  And pain continued to radiate within my body.  I continued to hear distant voices.  “Will he die?”  “I-I don’t know.”  “I hope not.  He seems to be an honorable man.  A rarity in this galaxy.”

The same series of images plagued me.  And I yet again woke up gasping.  It was now Ice who sat next to my bed.  She said with cocky smirk, “I bet I could take you in the ring now Stranger.  So, what’s your actual name?”  Catching my breath, I said, “Cal.”  She seemed to think about the name for a moment and finally nodded, saying, “It suits you.”  She then calmly walked out from the room.  A pain yet again blossomed in my abdomen.  I knew that there was a good chance that I’d die before I reached wherever they were taking me.  I accepted that with a sigh and took solace that I had accomplished my mission.  Bastila was safe.  Had I not aided her, she would likely have been vaporized … along with most of the rest of Taris.  With such acceptance came peace.  I let go of the room that surrounded me.  I let go of everything.  I felt as though I had been tied to a rock in a roaring ocean as waves overtook me.  But as soon as I had broken that bond, I was floating down a calm river.

Bastila sat by my side throughout that night as the pain intensified.  I flashed in and out of consciousness trying to return to that place of calm I had reached through meditation.  Once when I woke up, I heard Bastila crying and felt the weight of her head on my chest.  My shirt was slightly damp from tears.  I reached out with the Force and felt the bond between Bastila and myself.  The strength of the bond continued to intensify, and a whitish glow began to emanate in the room.  It seemed to be coming from Bastila and myself.  Yet she didn’t seem to notice.  Slowly the pain in my abdomen felt less like an exploding supernova and more like a dull spear stabbing me.  Eventually it became more of an ache that I’d carry for some time.  Bastila rose her head in shock, able to sense my surprise through our bond.  My eyebrows rose in amazement, and I asked, “Did you do this with your whole magic thing?”  Bastila snorted in annoyance and said, “It is not magic,” sternly.  Yet she still seemed amazed and said, “I don’t understand how, but your body seems to have healed itself.  You must be strong with the Force.”

I spent that night reading news on the ships holonet transceiver.  It only updated itself whenever we reached a system with an active holonet transmitter.  There weren’t very many planets such as those in the galactic periphery.  Taris had been one of the few in the Outer Rim that received the honor, due to its position along important trade routes, and its large population.  Consequently, the news wasn’t very up to date.  There was no information on the bombing of Taris and there likely wouldn’t be for some time.  But I was able to read up on these two Sith Lords.  They showed up out of nowhere and rose to become the Lord and Lady of the Sith.  Their campaigns had sliced through Republic lines, severing entire armies and fleets from resupply, leading to destruction or surrender.  I recognized the … beauty of their strategies as strange as that might sound.  It had an artwork about it.  They were enigmatic figures.  Nobody seemed to know much about them as though they had arisen out of nowhere.  There were rumors that the two were Republic war heroes.  Jedi that had turned.  They conquered worlds held by slavers, pirates, and petty warlords, being hailed as heroes.  But when a world refused to surrender they were no stranger to brutal tactics.  They had bombed the world of Telos into submission.  A brilliant surprise attack there caught a good amount of the Republic fleet in dry dock.  A sizeable amount of the planet’s population had survived the bombing, marking it as likely far less merciless than on Taris, but it was still hard to understand how any military force could rationalize an attack of that nature on a civilian target.  There was no mention that Revan had been deposed by his apprentice.  Likely that news would come along with the fall of Taris.  We could only hope that Lady Malak was a far less capable commander than Revan had been, but I didn’t hold out much hope for that.

Bastila and Ice seemed to come and check on me every few hours, but Carth was off sulking somewhere on the ship.  I could tell he wasn’t a fan of the Jedi Order, and whatever my role had been with them, it rubbed him the wrong way.  I found out that night that I was a voracious reader.  I couldn’t find out enough about this strange galaxy I had woken up in.  I had a lot of relearning to do after all.  The history of the Galaxy was at once familiar and yet foreign.  Like déjà vu.  I read about the formation of the Republic nearly four thousand years earlier when several space faring species moved beyond the basic technologies of sleeper ships, and hyperspace cannons, to develop early hyperdrives and chart the first hyperspace routes.  Humans, Duros, Nemoidians, Caamasi, and a few other species, along with their colonies signed the Galactic Constitution.  Over the centuries, more and more species from the Deep Core to the Outer Rim joined the organization.  Almost concurrently with the formation of the Republic, the Jedi Order was founded by force sensitives from a variety of species and cultures.  Scholars debated where the Order was founded, and even the Order’s own historians debated over the issue.  Some said that it was founded within the dense jungles of the planet, Tython.  Others argued for the desert worlds of Ossus or Jedha, which was possibly named for the Jedi.  Dozens of other planets were listed, but nobody knew for sure.  The Jedi had formed as a branch of warrior-monks who studied the deeper mysteries of the Force and fought to defend outer colonies from the grasps of slavers, pirates, and the dreaded Hutt Empire.  About one hundred years ago, there was a terrible split in the Order that had lasted peacefully for millennia.  A Dark Jedi named Xendor had dabbled in forbidden teachings about the Force and had been exiled from the Order.  This could have been the end of the conflict, but thousands of Jedi followed the charismatic Xendor into exile.  He argued that by studying the Bogan rather than the Ashla, the Jedi could become powerful, and use that power for the benefit of the Republic.  The traditionalist Jedi, years before, had been increasingly restricting the study of Bogan texts to Masters of the Order more able to resist the temptations of darkness.  They stood firmly with the Ashla, saying that any power gained from embracing darkness would be tainted by sacrificing their principles.  Historians debated who fired the first shot, but the ensuing years of warfare divided the Republic and the Jedi in a bloody struggle.  The Galactic Senate stood behind the Jedi Order, but many of the outer colony worlds felt that Xendor’s more militaristic Jedi would be better able to defend them.  The war was brutal and Xendor was killed at the Battle of Columus by the Grand Master of the Jedi Order, Awdrysta Pina, and his army of Jedi Crusaders.  Devastated, the Dark Jedi followers of Xendor abandoned the moderated and temperate approach of their leader, throwing themselves completely into the Dark Side. They abandoned known space for a brief break in the hostilities that lasted eleven years.  When they came back, they came at the head of an army of red-skinned warriors named the Sith.  And they were their Lords and Ladies.  Evidently, they had conquered the warrior race, which had a sizable empire under their Force-Kings in the Unknown Regions.  The Sith had colonized a large swath of space, but unlike the Republic, they enslaved the many species they had encountered, as laborers for their autocratic society.  The Sith worshipped the Force in a manner that resembled the Bogan, and respected strength.  When their King was overthrown by the Dark Jedi, the Sith happily followed their rule.  The new Lords of the Sith hated the Jedi with a bitter fury and turned their anger to the Republic.  For the next eighty-seven years the Sith made war against the Republic, chipping away territory, and killing more and more Jedi.  The Jedi Council was on the brink of suing for peace despite the loud objections of the Republic Senate, when they faced another schism.  Some Jedi violated the Council’s orders and went to renew war with the Sith Lords.  The grateful Republic made the Exiles, generals in command of the military.  For five years the Exiles pushed back the Sith military machine.  But everything changed at Malachor about a year ago.  I could find no reference to what exactly occurred.  Just that casualties on both sides approached one hundred percent.  Ever since, the Exiles who had sent many of their Knights into what they thought could be the decisive battle of the war, were reeling.  The Sith Empire was on the advance, and the war ground on.

The highlights of four thousand years was an exhausting read.  I yawned in my bed and put the holoreader down.  Bastila cleared her throat from the door and I looked up in surprise.  She chuckled and said, “You always loved to read.  Between missions you read all the time.  Everything from philosophical and religious texts, to historical treatises, the latest battle tactics manuals, and I even once saw you read a five-hundred-page instruction manuscript on building HK model assassin droids.”  I laughed at that and said, “Well I’m finding out plenty of interesting things about myself.”  I hesitated and then asked, “Bastila, why are we going to the Jedi Temple?  You are one of the Exiles, right?  I thought all of the Jedi Generals were.”  Bastila herself seemed to hesitate.  Then she said, “The leaders of our movement died on Malachor.  So, I am the official head of the Exiles now.  I am hoping to bring word of recent events to the Jedi.  Maybe I can reconcile our two groups against the greater Sith threat.”  I shrugged and said, “Well here’s hoping.  From my readings, it sounds like the Republic is in one kriffing mess.  Pardon the foul language.”  Bastila laughed again and said, “Leftenant, I’ve spent the last few years leading soldiers.  I can deal with a bit of profanity.  Hells, I probably know how to curse in a good twenty languages.  Karabast, may be a favorite of mine.  I think a Lasat taught me that one.”  I smirked and said, “My, my madam General, I never knew you had such a mouth on you.”  I yawned again despite myself, and Bastila said reproachfully, “You need your rest.  I’ll wake you when we reach Ilum.  It shouldn’t be many hours from now.”  She walked to the door and turned off the lights in the room.  I closed my eyes and tried to fall asleep yet knowing that the awful dreams would likely return.

I was not disappointed in that regard.  _I was on the black soil of Malachor.  The battle was utter chaos.  Hundreds of Jedi and Sith clashed in battles with lightsabers colliding in explosions of sparks.  Bodies were pushed through the air with the Force, and warriors leapt high to land upon the enemy.  Death was everywhere.  But the battle ceased when everyone looked up and saw the Pyramid glowing, and a beam of energy being shot forth.  There wasn’t even time to run before a wave of energy consumed everything.  It turned the bodies to ashy statues._   I woke with a scream in a quiet room.  I yet again was in a puddle of cold sweat.  I didn’t understand where these dreams were coming from.  Bastila said it herself, I wasn’t on Malachor.  This Jedi business was not my business, but my dreams seemed to disagree.  I worried that I had woken up the others, but nobody came rushing into the room.  I was glad for that.  My problems were nobody else’s and I didn’t want to worry them.  These dreams would pass in time.  I lay awake for the rest of that night, fearing the dreams that would surely come if I closed my eyes.  Instead I tried to center my mind as I had when my body supposedly began to mend itself.  I closed my eyes in a cross-legged position and tried to focus my mind as I had before.  Suddenly I visualized myself on a raging ocean.  The roiling waves repeatedly slammed me and endeavored to pull me down to a watery grave.  I tried to swim and push myself along in the torrents, but found my waist chained to a nearby rock jutting like a broken tooth from the sea’s gaping maw.  I knew that if I kept struggling I would surely drown.  I imagined the chain gone.  It disappeared.  And I let the sea carry me.  It soon became a placid river that I floated upon.  It felt as though I was flying on air.  Being soothed by my meditations I opened my eyes, looked at the wall chrono, and saw that I had been sitting like that for four hours.  Standing up and shaking the sleep out of my stiff legs was uncomfortable, but I was glad to be finally awake.

I was only in my underclothes, so I grabbed my tan tunic, and brown trousers.  I strapped on my leather utility belt and my back holsters.  I then slid my swords into the holsters.  The ship was quiet.  I hadn’t had the opportunity to explore it before.  There was a sizable cargo bay that lay largely unoccupied.  A good place to practice combat.  There was the small med center in which I had been resting.  There were two dormitory style rooms to accommodate crew members.  There was a room for engine maintenance, and another room that seemed to be full of instruments which must factor somehow into the running of the ship.  There was the turret module.  A small kitchenette and commons area with a beat up nerf-leather sectional and a pazaak table.  Then there was the cockpit.  And of course, a large refresher unit.  I assumed that Carth and Bastila were in their quarters.  T3 was rolling around the engine area and Ice was seated up in the cockpit.  I sat down in the co-pilot’s chair.  She didn’t look away from the viewscreen and its brilliant view of the hyperspace’s blue rippling waves, yet she certainly knew I was there.  She said, “Glad you’re feeling better Stranger.”  I smiled wryly and said, “Glad to be better Ice.  You know my name, but I don’t know years.  You have me at a disadvantage.”  I saw Ice quirk her lip in a smirk, and she said, “So I do.  Maybe I’ll tell you one day, soldier boy.  Any reason why we’re headed to this frozen rock?”  I shrugged and said, “Ask Bastila.  She’s the Jedi after all.”  Just then, the ship pulled out of hyperspace.  On the viewscreen, a small, snowy planet was visible below.  I felt a tingling within myself like the planet was calling to me.  I closed my eyes and sensed … crystals.  I whispered a phrase that spoke in my mind.  “The blade is the heart of the Jedi.”  A voice startled me when it replied, “The crystal is the heart of the blade.”  It was Bastila, and she looked at me intently.  I replied instinctually, “The heart is the crystal of the Jedi.”  She nodded and said, “The Jedi are the crystal of the Force.”  We spoke the rest in unison: “The Force is the blade of the heart.  All are intertwined: The Crystal, The Blade, The Jedi.  You are one.”  Ice stared at the two of us and snorted out in laughter.  “Crazy Jedi non-sense.”  Bastila’s eyes blazed with a mixture of uncertainty and yet determination.  She said, “I am taking you before the Council.  I want you to be trained as a Jedi Knight.”  My eyes widened, and I said, “You still think I’m some Force wizard?”  She nodded.  “Only the Jedi know the words of the crystal ceremony.  The crystals … speak to us.  They spoke to you.”  I gulped and said reluctantly, “I’ll … speak to your Council.  But I won’t make any promises, okay?”  She solemnly said, “That is all I ask Leftenant Ashesu.”


	5. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, events, or locations within this story. All are owned by Lucasfilm, Bioware, and any other companies that have ties to the Knights of the Old Republic series. This is merely a fan fiction inspired by the events of that series.

Our freighter descended through the small planetoid’s atmosphere.  I asked Bastila, “This planet is so small.  Smaller than many moons.  How does it maintain an atmosphere, biomes, support life?”  Bastila smiled and said, “That’s one of the galaxy’s many mysteries.  Some Jedi scholars think that the planet is a wellspring of the Force.  Life flourishes here.  As do the crystals.”  Finally, the vessel touched down on a small landing pad.  Bastila said politely, and yet firmly to Ice and Carth who by that time had joined us, “This meeting with the Council is really a Jedi affair, perhaps you both would like a tour of the fountain rooms or the library from one of our padawans?”  Carth said nonchalantly, “Thanks, but I think I’ll stay on the ship.  All these Jedi make me nervous … no offense.”  Ice nodded and said, “Yeah, I’ll stay on board too.”  Bastila shrugged and said, “Suit yourselves.  Come along Leftenant.”  I followed Bastila through the ship and down the boarding ramp.  As soon as I was outside I felt the frozen chill of the planet’s windy surface.  Bastila saw me shiver, and said contritely, “Oh, I almost forgot about the weather.  It does take some acclamation.  Here, I have a spare cloak.”  She handed me a rough woolen robe of a brown coloration.  I put my arms through it and draped the fabric over my tunic.  The warming effect it brought was quite welcome.  I pulled up the garment’s hood over my head to keep the snow at bay.  We walked about the length of a grav-ball court until we made it to the Temple’s entrance.  Outside stood two statues that appeared to have been carved from the ice itself.  They were two Jedi in robes, holding their blades.  Like sentinels guarding the Temple from intruders.  There were more literal sentinels guarding the doors as well.  Two figures in white armor with white masks adorned in golden flourishes stood guard with two pikes.  The pikes were long metallic poles that had ignited ends with yellow beams emanating.  We stopped three meters away from them.  Bastila shouted to be heard over the wind, “I am Knight Bastila Shan, and I have come for a meeting with the Council!”  The guards looked to each other uncertainly.  The one on the right said, “Exile Shan, we will allow you inside the Temple, but it is the decision of the Crystal Council on whether you may stay.”  They parted their pikes which had been crossed to block our path, and we strode within the Temple.  I sucked in a breath, seeing the majesty of the inner sanctum.  A large circular stone chamber with ornately carved walls, was dominated by two more statues of Jedi Warriors.  Between the two warriors was an elegant tree.  It had a white bark and red leaves.  Its height rivalled that of the warrior statues that flanked it.  And even more beautiful was a giant crystal hanging from an elaborate holder on the ceiling.  It seemed to vibrate with a life of its own and it shined with an ethereal glow.  A word whispered in my mind.  _Kyber_.  The living crystal.  Various passageways diverted from the main room, and the warrior-monks strode leisurely through the central thorough fare, many with their cloaks obscuring their features, and a stack of scrolls and texts in their arms.  I whispered to Bastila, afraid that to speak too loudly, would violate the sacrosanct grounds, “I thought we were meeting with the High Council.”  Bastila shook her head regretfully and said, “I had sent a message to them aboard the Endar Spire asking to meet.  They refused, and I doubt Taris will have changed their stubborn minds.  But the Ilum Temple was always friendly to the Jedi Exiles.  They even allowed our younger recruits to continue the gathering of crystals in their Kyber Caves, despite protests by the High Council on Ossus.”  I nodded and said, “Well then this Crystal Council may be a good place to start finding allies.”  We continued our brisk walk through the warm Temple.  I whispered again to Bastila, “Why is the Temple so much warmer than the exterior?  Is there a heating system?”  Bastila laughed and said, “No, this Temple sits upon thermal springs.  The groundwaters heat the building, and we pump it throughout the building to serve as heat, and also a source of water.”  I nodded thoughtfully.  It was a clever setup.

Eventually, we reached a door with two more of the Temple’s guards outside.  They removed their pikes from our path and allowed us to push open the antique wooden doors.  Inside, a small council of five sat in carved wooden chairs.  Bits of crystal were embedded within the wooden armrests and sides of the chair as though they had grown within the wood itself.  On the council, was a Mirialan woman with their characteristic green skin, and black facial tattoos.  From what I had read, the Mirialans were a very spiritual people that worshipped the Force.  The tattoos were religious and cultural in nature signifying various achievements in life.  It was said that no two Mirialan’s tattoos were identical, representing the differences between individuals and the paths that the Force had drawn for them.  She sat in the central seat, and presumably was the de facto leader of the group.  To her right were a human male and a Cathar female.  The human was middle aged.  He had chiseled features, with blonde hair.  The Cathar were a feline people whose homeworld had been devastated decades earlier by the Sith.  Only a fraction of the Cathar survived and made it offworld.  This Cathar had reddish-orange fur.  To the leader’s left were a Shistavanen male, a rare sight outside of their home in the Uvena system, within the Seswenna Sector of the Outer Rim, and a human female.  The woman appeared older than the rest with the beginnings of wrinkles sprouting on her face, and a silvery tint to what was once black hair.  The Mirialan smiled at Bastila warmly and spoke first.  “Hello Knight Shan.  It has been some time since you have walked these halls.”  Bastila nodded and returned the Mirialan’s smile.  She replied, “Too long Master Zhou.  We have come with news, and a request.”  The Mirialan nodded and motioned for Bastila to continue.  “We have news about the fate of Taris.  Malak’s fleet bombarded the planet to slag.  The Jedi Exiles need your help to defeat this enemy.”  The Council sat mouths agape in shock.  The Shistavanen growled in his species’ harsh tone of speaking and said, “We’d had feelings of some great loss … but an entire planet bombed so viciously?  Even Telos wasn’t that brutal.”  The Cathar said sadly in her species’ melodic tone of speaking, “Cathar faced a similar fate.  To see other worlds fall to such wickedness is a difficult thing to bear.”  Bastila nodded and said, “Exactly, Master Sivgr, Master Rho.  We need to end this war, before more planets face such destruction.”  The older woman looked skeptically at Bastila and said, “And what would you have us do _Exile_?  Send our young students to die in this war?  Disobey the orders of the High Council?  If we had made peace with the Sith Empire, Taris might not have faced annihilation.”  Bastila frowned and I could see a spark of anger in her eyes.  She said adamantly, “Master Xin, the Sith Lords have hated the Jedi Order with a burning fury since the death of Xendor.  No peace treaty will ever satisfy their dark hunger.  Any peace would have been a strategic thing, allowing them to solidify resources.  The Exiles were right to stand by the Republic.”  The human male seeking to placate the situation calmly said, “There are two sides to this, and it is hardly the time for a debate on this old argument.  What would you ask of us Bastila?”  Bastila breathed deeply and said, “Master Kavar, I ask that you allow the Jedi Exiles to use this Temple as place to reorganize our dwindling numbers.  And I ask that you allow us to recruit volunteers from your students to fight.  You know in your hearts that the war will come to Ilum.  We need to fight the Sith and drive them back.”  The Council sat with thoughtful expressions on their faces.  Master Zhou said, “We will deliberate on this matter and tell you our decision by the end of the day, Bastila.  But before we seal ourselves in conclave … who is this you have brought before us?”  I detected an edge in her voice.  It might have simply been my imagination, but I figured that non-Jedi may not be very welcome here.  Bastila said, “This is Leftenant Ashesu.  He was a pivotal member of my team that defeated Darth Revan.”  The Council gasped.  Kavar said, “So the rumor is true?  Revan is dead?”  Bastila nodded and said, “Revan is no more.  Lady Malak leads the Sith forces now.  May she be a less formidable opponent than her master.  I believe that the leftenant has showed signs of being strong with the Force.  He has had visions.  And he has abilities that simply put, are extra-ordinary.  He saved me from Taris.  I ask that he be trained in the ways of the Jedi.”  Zhou seemed hesitant.  I saw wariness in her eyes.  She said, “The Council will decide this matter as well.  You are both dismissed.  Feel free to explore the Temple, lieutenant.  I’m sure Bastila can give you a tour.”

Bastila bowed, and I followed suit.  Then the two of us walked out of the room, closing the door behind us.  I said to Bastila, “Do you think they’ll help the Republic?”  She sighed and said, “I don’t know Cal.  I hope so.  Would you like a tour of the Temple?”  I nodded with a smile and said, “From what I’ve seen, this place is beautiful.”  Bastila and I walked through various corridors.  Finally, we reached a breathtaking Garden room.  I audibly gasped when we walked inside.  Every manner of tree and flower bloomed in the gardens.  I saw the silvery Galek trees.  Willowy trees from Koros.  Fruit bearing trees from dozens of planets.  Ithor’s native Donal flowers.  Alderaanian Starflowers.  Fragrant Velanie flowers.  White Snowblooms native to Ilum.  Star-mists from Cularin.  The pink Centaurea flowers native to Chandrila.  Red blooming Queen’s Heart flowers from Naboo.  And the Everlilies that floated in small ponds.  Fountains spouted water in delicate ballets that danced elaborately through the air.  Numerous Jedi sat upon meditative seats in the garden.  I looked over at Bastila and said, “This … is unbelievable.”  She smiled and said, “I had the same reaction when I first came to the Room of Fountains.  The Jedi botanists work diligently to cultivate the diverse plant life.”  We both sat down on adjacent meditation platforms.  Bastila said quietly, “You had the nightmares again last night.”  A statement rather than a question.  I replied, “How did you know that?  I didn’t wake you, did I?”  Bastila shook her head placatingly and said, “No, don’t worry about that.  I sensed it.  The distress you felt.  What did you dream … if you don’t mind me asking?”  I shook my head confusedly and said, “I-I don’t know.  Battle.  Death.  Malachor.”  I saw sympathy in Bastila’s eyes.  She took my hands and said, “Cal, I promise you that with training and meditation the meaning of these visions will become clearer.”  She noticed that our hands were joined, and she dropped them.  I thought I detected a slight blush on her face.

Later, we left the meditative gardens and walked over to the library.  The room was enormous in scale.  There were three levels with balconies overlooking a central common area.  In addition to a series of computer banks, there must have been millions of old manuscripts, artifacts, and holocrons, arrayed on ornately carved, wooden shelving.  I walked along the shelves with Bastila and looked in awe at the various tomes.  One of the shelves held a metal blade that glowed with a greenish hue.  Bastila saw that I was staring at it, and she said, “That is one of the first blades of the Jedi.  It is a simple sword as the Jedi had used for generations, but it is imbued with the power of a kyber in its hilt, giving it greater strength and balance.  It is the foundation upon which the lightsaber was built.”  We continued walking the shelves and examining titles.  I would ask Bastila questions about certain texts, and skim through a few pages, before we moved on.  The history, and Force lore here was overwhelming in its scope.  Suddenly, I felt a pull.  It felt like a tingle down the spine.  Or a whisper on the wind.  I walked briskly leaving Bastila behind.  She called after me, but I simply continued to walk, turning down rows of bookshelves, until finally I stood before a square holocron.  It glowed with a blue energy within an aurodium casing.  I closed my eyes, and the holocron floated in the air.  The edges turned and floated from the primary mechanism.  I opened my eyes and saw a figure before me.  It was an image of a green skinned Twi’lek woman.  She had sad eyes and began to speak.  “Five years ago, my former padawan left the Jedi Order.  He was like a son to me.  I understood why he left at the time, though it saddened me.  He went off to fight a great evil.  Now he has become consumed by it.  May the history of Revan be entered into this repository as it unfolds.  May my student one day return to the light.  This is Jedi Master Thena Syndulla signing out.”

Bastila stood behind me and said, “Cal, are you okay?”  I nodded slowly as the holocron closed and said, “I don’t know why … but this holocron felt like it was calling to me.  I keep having visions about the war and Revan.  Could it be from my role in his death?”  Bastila looked at me thoughtfully and nodded slowly, “It is certainly possible.  Or perhaps you are called on a mission.  A mission to undo the harm Revan did.  And to learn from his mistakes.”  I thought about her words.  I was going to respond when a human man in an intricate robe colored yellow and green.  It was embroidered in the Ansatan style that designated the man as a Jedi librarian.  The man bowed and said, “Knight Shan, the Council wishes to speak with you and your companion now.”  Bastila nodded and said, “Thank you Master Hsu.”  She turned to me and said, “I promise you that if the Council refuses to train you, then I shall myself.  But I must warn you, I fear I would be an abysmal teacher.”  She smiled, and I laughed.  We made our way back to the Council chambers to a grim-faced group.  I feared that that this did not bode well for Bastila’s cause, but apparently my fears were misplaced.  Master Zhou said with a gentle firmness, “We shall provide your Exiles shelter in our Temple, Knight Shan as is our moral duty.  And should any of our Knights freely agree to join your cause, we will neither stop nor excommunicate them.  We have our reservations about training your companion.  Perhaps he would wish to speak on his own behalf before this Council on why he seeks training.”  I stepped forward and bowed respectfully.  I then said calmly, “Respectfully Master Zhou, I do not know whether I would make a good Jedi, or whether I am even sensitive to the Force.  But I trust Bastila.  And if she believes that the best way for me to serve the Republic is by training as a Jedi Knight, then that is what I wish to do.”  The Council looked uncertainly to each other, but eventually they all nodded.  Master Zhou said, “Okay, we will allow you to train in the ways of the Force.  You shall study at this Temple so long as you wish.”  I bowed respectfully and said, “I thank you, Masters.”  Bastila bowed as well and said, “I thank you as well Masters.”  We were both dismissed and exited the chambers of the Jedi Council.  Bastila grinned and said, “Welcome to the Jedi Order, Initiate Ashesu.  I mock bowed and laughed at her words.


	6. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, events, or locations within this story. All are owned by Lucasfilm, Bioware, and any other companies that have ties to the Knights of the Old Republic series. This is merely a fan fiction inspired by the events of that series.

That night I entered my designated quarters.  They were spartan.  There was a small bed, a desk with a light on it, a cushioned platform for meditation, and a door.  I found such a simple chamber comforting.  On the desk sat a holocron with a note from Bastila.  The note read, “Congratulations Cal.  You have taken your first step on a new path.  Perhaps this holocron will serve as a guide to avoid missteps.”  I looked at it and could tell immediately that it was the holocron from the library.  The gift touched me immensely.  I lay down in bed and tried to fall asleep whilst keeping nightmares at bay.  The nightmares of course returned however.  _I saw a masked Revan standing before his Twi’lek Master.  She said sadly, “Turn back from the darkness Revan.  I know there is still goodness in your heart.”  Revan ignited his blade and swung it through his Master who dissipated into dust._   I jolted awake the next morning in a cold sweat.  I wondered if Master Syndulla had truly perished, or if the vision had been more symbolic in nature.  I hoped that Revan had not killed the kind woman who viewed him as a son.  I found that drawers in my desk held fresh linen tunics and robes.  I disrobed from my old clothing.  It frankly smelled awful from several days of running, fighting, and nightmares.  There were singed blaster holes in the clothing as well.  I stepped into the communal refresher with a towel covering the intimate area of my body.  I ended up bumping into a pretty female Zabrak padawan in a similar state of undress with a towel covering her torso and legs.  She nearly fell, but I managed to catch her.  I blushed and said, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize that this was a female refresher.”  The Zabrak chuckled and said, “It isn’t.  All of the refreshers are for both genders.  Sorry for bumping into you.”  I smiled and said, “No harm done.”  The Zabrak put her hand out and shook my hand.  “My name is Hallen.  What’s yours?”  I said, “Pleased to meet you Hallen.  My name is Cal.”  Her eyes brightened, and she said, “Oh, I heard about you.  You’re the soldier who they agreed to train right?  If I weren’t a Jedi I’d say that you’re just as cute as advertised … but since we are Jedi, I will say nothing of the kind.”  She laughed at that, and I blushed some more.  “Not the calm and collected padawan ideal, are you?” I joked.  She snorted and said, “Hardly.  I just got here a few weeks ago from the salvage yards on Raxus Prime.  Well I’ll let you get to your shower.”  She walked into a private shower cubicle, as did I.  I let the warm water and soapy suds run over me for what must have been twenty minutes, luxuriating in the feeling of warmth and cleanliness.  Layers of dirt and grime were stripped away.

After a half hour, I was back in my quarters, and changed into my new tunic and robes.  I walked briskly out my door and down the corridor to the central courtyard.  Others walked at a slower pace, but I couldn’t restrain my urge to move.  I suppose that it might come from my background as a soldier.   I honestly didn’t know where to go to begin my training.  I wasn’t going to go bother the Council.  So, I walked up to one of the Temple Guards that milled around in their white and gold colored robes and said, “Do you know where the beginner classes are?”  He nodded and pointed towards a small dojo nearby.  I walked inside and saw that I was one of the few students in the room above the age of twelve.  The female Togruta Jedi at the front of the room said, “Class, let us welcome our newest student, Initiate Ashesu.”  In unison the children said, “Hello Initiate Ashesu!”  I said sheepishly, “Hello.”  The teacher then said, “Now students, let’s recite the Jedi Code.”  The other students said again in unison, “There is no emotion, there is peace.  There is no ignorance there is knowledge.  There is no passion there is serenity.  There is no chaos, there is harmony.  There is no death, there is the Force.”  I had stayed silent throughout the chant.  The words sounded familiar as though I had heard them before, but I did not want to blurt out the wrong thing in class.  The teacher then asked, “Who can explain the lines of the code to me?  Cal, would you like to try as our newest student?”  She gave me an encouraging smile.  I nodded hesitantly and said, “The first line indicates that emotion clouds our judgement.  The only way to make sound judgements is to be at peace and not let our emotions rule us.  The second line indicates that we have the capacity to learn all that we do not know.  Being unwilling to understand what may be new to us allows ignorance to rule us.  The third line seems to be about centering oneself.  Giving into passions might give temporary happiness, but it pales before the serenity of inner peace.  The fourth line pertains to the fact that whilst the galaxy seems to be filled with uncertainty and chaos, everything exists in harmony with each other.  And the final line pertains to the Jedi belief that all life is not destroyed but lives on after death through the Force.”  The teacher smiled and said, “Very good.  I’m impressed by your explanation.  It is at the level of a more advanced student than your brief time here would indicate.  Let’s continue.”  She spent the next hour talking about basic Jedi philosophy and ethics.  It was simple stuff, but I was in a class of preteens and children.

Soon the teacher left and told us all to wait in the dojo for our next class.  The next teacher to enter was a young man.  He can’t have been older than his early twenties.  He drilled the students in some basic swordsmanship techniques and paired them off with wooden sticks to duel each other.  He took me aside and said, “Obviously I can’t have you dueling the younger students, so I will be sparring with you.  Since you are a beginner, I will hold back.”  I smiled and bowed to the Knight.  I then said, “Knight Dyri, I was a soldier in the Sith War.  I won’t learn anything if you hold back.”  The Knight still looked hesitant but reluctantly assented to my request.  We both grabbed wooden sticks and bowed to each other before falling into dueling stances.  The style he had taught us so far was called Shii-Cho.  He fell into a Shii-Cho stance, but my body seemed to tell me that this stance was wrong for this type of fighting.  I spread my legs in almost a half-crouch and gripped my mock-sword with both hands.  Knight Dyri’s eyes widened, but he quickly recovered.  His series of attacks were wild and unpredictable as was the style of Shii-Cho in the hands of an expert practitioner.  But I blocked each attack with economical movements and elegant counter-attacks.  He continued to try and disarm me by stripping the stick from my hand.  This was another hallmark of the Shii-Cho style.  But whatever style I had adopted, thwarted his attempts at disarmament.  As his attacks became more and more fatigued, he began to make mistakes, and I capitalized.  Within five minutes of the fight’s start, I had knocked Dyri to the ground and held my stick sword at his throat.  I had failed to notice that the younglings had all congregated around the two of us to watch the far more interesting duel.  I offered my hand to help Dyri to his feet, which he accepted graciously.  But he then said incredulously, “When did you learn Makashi?  Form II of lightsaber combat.”  I shook my head bewildered and said, “I never learned that style before.”  With my victory, the sparring session was finished.

The next teacher to enter the dojo was a wizened Miraluka woman.  The Miraluka were an intriguing species.  They were quite similar physically to humans, yet they were born without any eyes.  Consequently, they wore masks or draped fabric to cover where eyes would normally be.  The Miraluka were blind, but their species had an unusually strong connection to the Force.  They were able to see their surroundings through sense rather than sight.  The woman wore a beautiful cloth mask wrapped around a ring that encompassed her head, and with embroidered red fabric accents.  She said kindly, “Hello students.  Today, we will work on the simple aspects of telekinesis, or moving objects with the Force.”  She handed out blocks to each student who sat cross-legged on the floor.  “Now, close your eyes.  Hold the blocks in your hand.  Feel them become weightless.  Picture them floating in the air above your hand.”  I closed my eyes as I sat on the floor.  For the first few minutes I didn’t feel anything.  I had trouble focusing.  But finally, I was able to center myself.  I just pictured myself in a peaceful autumn forest with the leaves turning to reds and oranges.  It was then within a minute that I heard gasps from my fellow students.  I opened my eyes and saw that not only was my block levitating, but the grouping of chairs around me was as well.  And I was floating two feet in the air in my cross-legged position.  When I opened my eyes in shock, everything fell to the ground, including myself.  I groaned in pain and rubbed my lower back.  I would feel that ache tomorrow.  The Miraluka Master said, “Okay students.  Class dismissed early today.”  When the other students left, the woman stopped me and said, “Initiate … have you trained in the Force before?”  I shook my head and said, “No I haven’t.”  She looked troubled and finally replied, “Only Masters tend to show the Force aptitude you have displayed.  I don’t understand what this means.  But I won’t keep you.  Feel free to enjoy the rest of your day.”  I walked out of the room feeling uncertain about my future.  I was just some lieutenant in the Republic army.  These powers seemed … unnatural to me.  And unnerving.  I planned on just going to my room dejectedly wondering what tomorrow would bring.  But Bastila intercepted me just before I reached my door.

“Cal!  Are you alright?”  I nodded hesitantly.  She looked skeptical and said, “I … could just tell that you felt badly about something.”  I raised my eyebrow and said, “How is that?”  She sighed and replied, “I don’t know.  I asked the Council about it myself.  They said that we had formed a bond or connection in the Force.  Masters and Padawans tend to develop these bonds … but only after years together.  I suppose it might make sense.  You have been assigned to my command for the last five years.”  I thought on that, and I must have had a pensive expression on my face.  Bastila laughed softly and said, “I could always tell when you were thinking about something important.  You would quirk your lip.  And your eyes would be fixed on the distance.  You liked to pace a lot too.”  I shrugged and said with a small smile, “I didn’t realize I was quite that predictable.”  I opened my door and walked inside.  Bastila followed me and said with a frown, “Don’t do that.  You always go off to brood.  Talk to me.”  I sat down on my meditation platform and Bastila took a seat in the chair at my desk.  I looked down at my open hands and said, “I don’t know what’s happening to me.  I feel like I can’t control these … powers.  I never asked for this.  I just want to serve the Republic.  I’m a soldier.  Not some wizard.  You should have seen the faces of my instructors.  The sparring instructor seemed to be shocked that I had defeated him.  And frankly I was too.  And then I end up levitating half the furniture in the room and float a couple feet off the ground in my Force class.  My instructors tried to hide it, but I saw it on their face.  It wasn’t awe.  Or … at least not only that.  There was fear and uncertainty there as well.”  Bastila absorbed my words and then said, “Yes, I heard about your success in your classes.”  She placed her hand on my shoulder and said, “Cal, you have to understand, it is sentient nature to at times fear those we don’t understand.  And your teachers simply didn’t understand how you could progress so swiftly.  But I understand it.  I sensed the potential in you.  Before Revan’s fall, training you was simply not feasible, even though I suspected for some time that you might be Force sensitive.  But I can tell through our bond.  Not only are you powerful.  But you are good.  You can do good things with this power.”  I pulled the holocron that Bastila had given to me from across the room with the Force and showed it to her.  “How do you know that I won’t betray the Order.  Like him.  Like Revan.”  She stood up quickly and said with an anger in her voice, “Revan is gone.  And I know you.  It is time for you to learn that yourself!”  She stormed out of the room closing the door loudly.

I felt her anger in my chest like an ache.  Our bond was stronger than I had realized.  I sighed, sad that I had said the wrong thing to her.  It seemed like she wanted me to trust myself with these new powers, but I was having a hard time of it.  From all that I had heard of the Sith Lords, the Force could do terrible things in the wrong hands.  How did I know that my hands were the right ones?  Only time and training would tell I supposed.  I looked at the chrono on a datapad that had been left in one of the desk drawers, presumably for the purpose of taking notes and studying.  It said that the time of day was no later than dusk.  Dinner would be being served in the dining hall.  I hadn’t eaten anything since the previous day, but I did not have any desire to go out and eat with others at the moment.  I resolved to have breakfast tomorrow morning and go to sleep early.

The dreams came again.  _I saw a quartet of Jedi standing before Council members I did not recognize.  The one standing at the front wore the mask of Revan and had his arms crossed across his chest, as though the meeting were boring him.  To his right stood Bastila.  And to his left stood a defiant looking woman I did not recognize.  In the back stood a bearded man who stroked his chin contemplatively.  The leader of the council was a wrinkled old man with an annoyed countenance.  He said angrily, “Revan, it is time you respect the will of this Council!  This war has cost billions of lives!”  The defiant looking woman said with equal fury, “If you show your stomach to the Sith then billions more will lose their lives!  The Sith want one thing, the extermination of the Jedi!  There is no peace with monsters!”  One of the other council members, a young woman with white hair said with acid in her tone, “That is enough Malak!”  Revan turned his back on the Council and walked out of the room.  The three others followed him wordlessly._

For the first time in days, I did not wake up in a cold sweat.  The scene was troubling, but not horrifying as many of the others had been.  I could tell that it was late … or I suppose early depending on one’s point of view.  I groggily got up from bed and walked outside into one of the dormitory hallways of the Temple.  I slowly made my way to the Hall of Fountains.  The lapping of water and the sweet fragrances of the garden flora soothed me nearly instantaneously when I opened the door.  I knelt before the pool of water and sighed, overwhelmed by the situation I had fallen into.  I could see my reflection in the water.  Half of my face was illuminated by the dimmed lights in the room, whilst the other half was obscured by darkness.  The symbolism was not lost on me.  I pondered the nature of the Force.  Perhaps, all of us had a dark side and a light side within us.  And perhaps, one’s fate simply depended on which voice we listened to.  I stood up and walked from the calming room.  But it was still the middle of the night and I couldn’t head back to my quarters.  So, I simply paced the halls of the Temple for the rest of the night until the cafeteria opened up for breakfast.  A Jedi breakfast was simple and yet quite satisfying.  They had a meaty sausage for species that were carnivores at the Temple.  Most others ate bread and cheese paired with delicious fruits.  There were other items for the dietary requirements of certain species, but few partook.  I sat by myself and ate my meal quickly before many Knights had entered the hall.  I didn’t particularly want to see Bastila at the moment.  I feared incurring her wrath and damaging whatever progress we had made as comrades.  I had few friends in a place such as this.  I sensed that my past as a soldier disconcerted many of these peace keepers who wanted to put the war out of their minds.  It was foolish and short sighted, and yet many liked to distract themselves with whatever little peace they could carve out for themselves.

I, as discreetly as I could, left the hall and raised my hood to obscure my face to the casual passerby.  It would soon be time for my morning classes.  But despite my best efforts I was intercepted in the hallway by a Nautolan Knight.  He said hurriedly, “The Council told me to tell you that, your rapid progress has marked you for a fast track of learning.  You’ll be reporting to Master Zhou’s chambers for training.”  I nodded briskly and said, “I thank you for telling me.”  It took me some time to find the Mirialan Master’s chamber.  When I did, I knocked on the wooden door.  A voice said from the other side, “Come in!”  I hesitantly opened the door and saw Master Zhou sitting cross legged on a meditation platform.  She gestured for me to sit on a similar platform situated across from her.  She broke the tension by saying, “Your instructors tell me that you are at a far more advanced level than any beginner.  So, I shall be training you in the ways of the Force and Jedi philosophy.  Master Kavar will teach you the art of saber combat.  I hope you comprehend how unusual your case is.”  I nodded and said, “I do Master.”  She adopted a grim smile and replied, “Good.  Now let us begin.”


	7. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, events, or locations within this story. All are owned by Lucasfilm, Bioware, and any other companies that have ties to the Knights of the Old Republic series. This is merely a fan fiction inspired by the events of that series.

The next three weeks were grueling with an intense training regimen.  Master Zhou taught me about the Ashla, and its role in the dichotomy of the Force.  I read the works of all the great Jedi philosophers and historians.  And my powers with the Force only grew under her tutelage.  I learned how to use the Force to augment my physical abilities.  To affect the minds of the weak willed.  To heal allies.  And to manipulate objects around me.  When my tutelage was over, Master Zhou bowed her head to me and said, “I have never taught a student with a more inquisitive mind.  You have learned in mere weeks than what many students learn in years.  You are ready to find your crystal.”  I bowed low and said, “I thank you for your training Master Zhou.  I could not have learned so much without your teachings.”

Under Master Kavar I had spent the three weeks drilling in the various saber forms.  He taught me Makashi.  I realized that I had indeed favored this style in my duel with the beginner teacher.  How I knew the style I could only guess at.  He taught me the defensive form of Soresu, which favored economical movements, and was a good style for the deflection of blaster bolts.  I learned the acrobatic styles of Ataru.  And the powerful defense and counter style of Djem So.  On the final day of my training, I defeated Kavar in a duel.  I had heard from other Knights that he was considered one of the greatest swordsmen in the Order today.  I saw respect in his eyes when I defeated him.  I favored a mixture of styles between the dueling of Makashi and the defense of Soresu, but I made certain to become proficient in all of the forms I had learned.

The beautiful Kyber that clung to the ceiling of the Temple served a role besides decoration.  When the light shone through a window just so, it opened an ice wall that I had seen in the room on my first visit.  At that time, I hadn’t realized that it opened down into the crystal caves.  Master Zhou stood before me and said kindly, “I believe you are ready for this, my student.  But this step is only the beginning of your training.  Find your crystal in the caves.  But more than that, find yourself.”  I bowed to the Jedi Master and said, “I will try Master.”  Zhou quirked her lip in a grin and said, “Do.  Don’t try.”  I chuckled at that and walked tentatively into the icy corridors.  After the third turn I was certain that the paths behind me were changing.  The labyrinthine catacombs certainly were confusing, and the ice that surrounded me left a bitter chill in the air.  I saw my breath like a mist and was glad that I had brought my brown woolen robes atop my lower tunics.  I then pulled my hood up over my head to keep myself warmer.

Soon, I reach a central chamber with a high ceiling.  Two paths spread out.  I sensed that this was a turning point on my quest.  Thinking of the only way to decide which path to take, I knelt in the snow.  I reached my hand out and emptied my mind.  I just listened for the call.  The whisper of my Kyber.  Lo and behold, I indeed heard the whisper.  But it came from both pathways.  One was shrouded in shadow and I sensed darkness.  Danger.  The other was illuminated, and I sensed brightness.  Safety.  I meditated on the two paths, realizing the obvious dichotomy.  Light and Dark.  Ashla and Bogan.  Both paths seemed … wrong.  Incomplete.  It was that realization that allowed me to perceive my surroundings differently.  There was a small ledge high up in the room.  The two walkways lead upwards spiraling until each met and joined to reach the ledge.  Neither path was complete, but they met and formed something new.  I crouched to the ground mustering my strength and leapt up to the ledge sensing that my crystal was there.  And indeed, it was.  An icy stalactite drew down from the ceiling and reached down to the ledge as though offering its prize.  A soft glow emanated from the tip of the ice.  With the utmost care and reverence, I grasped the crystal in my hand and pulled it from the ice.

The walk back to the icy wall dividing the caves and the Temple was a straight path.  I shook my head bemusedly, realizing that the paths or at very least a traveler’s perception of the paths was very much manipulated by such a place naturally strong with the Living Force.  I wondered if these twists and turns were meant to be deliberate.  If it was all a test for each student’s personal demons.  It was almost as though the Kyber was deciding if it would reveal itself to its Jedi match.  Walking back into the main Temple, I came face to face with Bastila.  I had barely spoken to her since I had begun my advanced training.  The two of us seemed to be avoiding each other out of simple wariness of another fight.  And not seeing this woman whom I had felt was a friend after the span of a few short days did hurt.  Bastila stood there awkwardly and said, “I … heard that you were getting your crystal today.  Congratulations.”  She held out her hand for me to shake.  I grinned and shook her hand, but then pulled her in for a hug.  She huffed at that trying to sound angry.  She said, “Leftenant, that was highly unprofessional.”  I chuckled and said, “Well it’s a good thing I’m not a soldier anymore I guess.  I’m sorry about making you angry a few weeks ago.”  Bastila’s face fell.  She said, “No.  I’m sorry for placing my old emotions on you.  I have a history with Revan and Malak.”  I nodded and said, “I know.”  Her eyes widened, and she said incredulously, “How did you know that?”  “I saw you, Revan, and Malak leave the Order together.  There was another man there as well.”  Bastila nodded and said, “Yes, I followed them off to war.  So many of us did.  And seeing you compare yourself to them.  Thinking that you could fall too … it just hurt me.”  I nodded understandingly and said, “Okay.  Well then I’ll have to do my level best to not follow Revan’s path.”

I was glad to have a friend back.  Bastila spent the next several days with me, whilst I prepared the items I would need for the construction of my lightsaber.  Master Zhou had allowed me the great honor of harvesting wood from the Heart Tree to carve into a casing to surround the inner mechanisms of my blade.  The tree’s bark was as hard as metal, and rumor held that a Kyber was imbedded deep within the tree, imbuing it with special Force properties.  The other components were simple enough to find in the Temple store rooms, however, specific combinations could augment and customize aspects of one’s blade, and an improper combination could end in an explosive mishap.  Finally, the time had come.  The electronics were all in place.  The wood casing had been placed around the inner metal casing.  All that was left was to slip the crystal inside.  I did so, and hesitantly, thumbed the ignition button.  A bright beam of light sprung forth from the weapon.  It shone in a brilliant white stream.  I heard Bastila gasp to my side at the sight of the blade.  She muttered perplexedly, “I’ve never seen a white blade before.”  I turned off the weapon and had trouble wiping the stupid grin from my face.  It was time to present myself before the Council.

Bastila and I walked side by side into the Council chamber.  Master Zhou and Kavar who had taught me both smiled kindly at me.  Master Rho wore her compassionate countenance, but it was marred by a painful looking scar that covered her face.  Her arm too was in a sling.  She must have been injured quite severely recently.  Master Xin still observed me and Bastila with skepticism and a degree of scorn.  The Shistavanen’s face was harder to read.  An immovable mask.  Master Zhou said to the two of us, “It seems that you have both had a great deal of success since coming here.  Knight Shan has managed to recruit twenty Knights to fight against the Sith.  As we have promised, these Knights shall not be excommunicated from our Temple.  And Initiate Ashesu has progressed faster than any candidate we have seen in years.  Your training has been incredibly unorthodox.  The Force has guided it.  And in these times of war, we feel that it would do the Order a disservice to make you a Padawan.”  My heart fell.  But she continued.  “Instead, we will give you a trial deep in Ilum’s wilderness.  Should you pass this trial, we shall confer upon you the title of Knight of the Jedi Order.  I was shocked, and it likely showed on my face.  I bowed deeply and said, “I thank you Masters.  I am deeply honored and will endeavor to live up to this faith you have in me.”  Master Xin muttered discontentedly, “See that you do.  So, let us see your blade.”  I ignited the weapon and saw the Masters gasp at the sight of it.  Master Zhou said in amazement, “A white blade.  I thought it was the stuff of … legends.”

Shortly after, Bastila and I exited the chamber and Bastila said to me in surprise, “I had not anticipated this.  I … worried that our journeys together might be coming to an end leftenant.  But if you pass the Trial, you can join me and the Exiles … if you feel that is the path for you.”  I nodded and said with a small grin, “This place is nice, but I’m still a soldier.  When I see a house on fire, I can’t just sit by and let it burn.”  Bastila nodded solemnly and replied, “This is true.  I could not either.  But we must be cautious.  Revan felt the same way.  There is a fine line between protecting others, and being consumed by such a desire, giving one’s soul over to darkness, and doing whatever it takes to accomplish your goals.  The road to perdition is paved with good intentions.”  I grimly nodded and said, “We’ll have to be careful.  But I feel the risk is a necessary one.”

Bastila had wanted to go out in the Ilum wilderness with me, but I told her that this was something I had to do on my own.  It was an individual Trial that I had to face.  Beneath my robes, I was wearing thermal gear as I trekked through hip deep Ilum snow.  The Jedi Council had told me of a tainted grove inside a cave nearby.  The site has been a sacred place of pilgrimage for Jedi, but the Dark Side had tainted it.  The Masters told me that I would be able to sense the Darkness which invaded the world and follow it back to its source.  They were not wrong.  By sensing when the feelings of Darkness grew stronger, the Force could effectively be used as a compass.  The wind blew snow in my face, blinding me, and chilling me to my bones.  I relied on the Force to sense my surroundings and to warm my body, but even those powers had limits.  Thankfully, the cave turned out to only be eight klicks away.  By the time I had reached its mouth, the Darkness was an oppressive weight in the air.  Inside the cave I saw a pool of water and what looked to be a younger heart wood tree.  But the tree was sickly.  The white bark was turned to a yellowish hue.  And the beautiful red leaves covered the ground around the pool.  The pool itself which had likely once been a beautiful oasis of clear water was now muddled and had the hints of pollution defiling its sacrosanct beauty.  And at the heart of the darkness sat a young female Cathar.  Her eyes blazed with fury.  She spat out with her voice full of bile, “Jedi!  You dare come to this dark domain?!”  I said calmly, “I have been ordered by the Jedi Council to cleanse this place.”  The woman hissed and replied, “Those hypocrites and fools sent you to murder me I see.”  She gracefully leapt to her feet and drew her red bladed lightsaber.  “Well I won’t go down without a fight.”  I regretfully drew my own blade and ignited it.  The white light sprung forth and the battle began.  This Cathar was a skilled warrior.  She made use of her Cathar claws to try and gash or kick in addition to striking with her blade.  It was a distracting complication in the duel that I was not used to dealing with.  Her feline agility also aided her as she leapt off of walls and swung from the branches of the tree in efforts to catch me off guard or attack from a new angle.  I was tiring despite the economical defenses of my two preferred sword styles.  I had trekked a long distance to get here and fought against a well-rested opponent.  I knew I had to end this quickly.  So, I dug deep within the Force when we had looked blades and pushed her back hard against the heart wood tree.  I pulled the lightsaber from her hand with the Force and swung my own blade through its hilt, destroying the weapon.  The Cathar warrior screamed out in fury, but simply fell to her knees.  She said defiantly, “Go ahead.  End it.”  I chose to do no such thing.  I deactivated my blade and sat down across from her.  “Why have you tainted this grove?” I asked.  She scoffed, and I detected a hint of sorrow in her voice.  “My Master held me back in training.  She never took me seriously.  I just … got so angry when we were dueling.  I … I killed her.”  The Cathar began to weep.  “The Jedi will never accept me again.  Only the Sith will respect my strength.”  I said calmly, “The only way you will have failed your Master, will be if you continue down this dark path.  We all have a choice in life.  We may stumble or make a misstep.  But it is up to us to correct ourselves.  We fail when we recognize a failing yet fail to correct it.”  The Cathar said sadly, “Y-you think the Jedi will take me back?”  I sighed and said honestly, “I do not know.  It is possible.  But this is not about seeking the approval of the Jedi.  It is about knowing in your heart that you have done the right thing.”  The Cathar woman stood and said, “Okay, I will follow you back to the Temple … for judgement.”  The two of us exited the cave and began the trek back.  I looked back into the cave and saw the water clearing.  And the tree was already healing itself.  The Force worked in mysterious ways.

An hour or so later, the Cathar and I were inside the Jedi Temple again.  The Cathar was brought before the Council and remained inside for some time.  Bastila had been waiting by the Temple doors since I left and rushed over to me when I came back inside.  I said with a chuckle, “You didn’t need to worry, I was fine.”  She huffed and said, “I was hardly worried.  But I need you in one piece for our war leftenant.”  She said that with a wry grin meant to show she was joking.  We were soon escorted into the Council chambers and were met by a strange sight.  The fallen Jedi I had met in the caves hugged Master Rho closely.  Then the puzzle fell into place in my mind.  Master Rho was this Jedi’s master.  Her wounds came from the apprentice’s attack.  To avoid stepping on this semi-private moment, Master Zhou addressed the two of us directly and said, “Calvin Ashesu, you have passed your Trial.  And you have done more than any of us could possibly have hoped for.  You have returned one of our lost souls back into our Order and did not fall back on solely violent answers to a problem.”  She smirked and said, “Perhaps we have turned you into more of a Jedi and less of a soldier.”  She unclipped her lightsaber from her belt and ignited the green blade.  The other Masters all followed suit and stood in a half-circle around us.  Master Zhou said kindly, “Kneel.”  I knelt before her.  I felt the heat of her blade stop just short of each of my shoulders as she said, “By the right of the Council.  By the will of the Force.  I dub thee, Jedi, Knight of the Republic.”  I raised my head and said in a heartfelt tone, “I am honored Masters.  I won’t let you down.”

That night, Bastila and I walked back to our ship.  I snorted and said, “I’m shocked it’s still here.  I would have thought they’d take off weeks ago.”  Bastila smirked and said, “I’ve been in contact with them on a daily basis to keep them appraised of your training.  Ice seems to have some honor bound connection with you.  And I sternly reminded Commander Onasi, that I was his superior officer, and he had a duty to the Republic.”  I chuckled at that one and replied, “You sure know how to make friends with the Republic brass.”  The ramp to the ship descended and we hopped onto it.  But before we could walk inside, I heard a voice calling after me and running from the Temple.  I turned and saw the Cathar that I had helped turn from the Darkness.  She ran up to the two of us and said out of breath, “Knight Shan, Knight Ashesu, I have received permission from the Council to join you on your journey and learn from you … if you’ll have me.  I looked to Bastila and she nodded.  I said, “Okay, welcome.  What is your name?”  She smiled and said, “Juhani.”  I shook the Cathar’s hand and we walked up the ramp to escape the bitter cold.


	8. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, events, or locations within this story. All are owned by Lucasfilm, Bioware, and any other companies that have ties to the Knights of the Old Republic series. This is merely a fan fiction inspired by the events of that series.

Carth groaned at the sight of the three of us walking into the common area.  He said with a put-upon tone, “Great, you picked up another one.”  Bastila scowled at him and said, “If you would recall Mr. Onasi, the Republic would already have fallen without the aid of the Jedi.”  He scoffed and said, “Jedi.  Sith.  Hardly anybody can tell the difference anymore.  Everybody knows that Revan and Malak were big heroes leading the Jedi Exiles before they turned evil and took half their Knights along with them.”  I shook my head, annoyed at his asinine attempt at philosophy and said scornfully, “The difference between a Jedi and Sith, is that the Sith would have killed you for speaking to them so rudely.  You are lucky that the three of us are Jedi.”  Onasi sprung to his feet and said, “Come on and try me, lieutenant.  It’s not like I have anything else to lose.”  When I made no move to assault him, the commander stalked off to his dormitory quarters.  Bastila said to me quietly, “We should drop him off at the nearest Republic star base, he’ll cause nothing but trouble for our mission.”  I shrugged and said, “We’ll see if his attitude adjusts.  If not, then we’ll bring him back to the Republic Navy.”  I then thought about her words for a second and said confusedly, “What exactly is our mission?”  Bastila herself looked uncertain about that and said, “It is somewhat nebulous at the moment.  It essentially boils down to, win the war.”  I laughed at that and said, “You don’t dream small do you.”  She smirked at my remark and said, “Knight Ashesu, a friend of mine once said small dreams lead to small victories.”

I walked up to the cockpit with Bastila to speak with Ice.  Ice looked up at me and had trouble keeping herself from laughing at my new robes.  “So, they made you a kriffing jetii?  You would have been better joining the Mand’oad instead.”  I chuckled at that and said, “I can’t see myself as a son of Mandalore.”  She raised her eyebrows questioningly and replied, “You speak Mand’oa?”  I shrugged and said, “I suppose so.  My service record said that I speak a variety of languages and dialects.  Why do you hate the jetii?”  She snorted and said, “I don’t hate them.  But they are no friends of Mandalore.  The jetii came to our world and convinced Mandalore to dispatch most of his royal guard, the Protectors to join your war.  Then half your warriors died at Malachor or turned to dar’jetii.  The Protectors fought on the surface of Malachor alongside your jetii for honor.  We had little use for your Republic.  The Mand’oad control our own world and a few colonies besides, but we had heard that your jetii were honorable warriors.  One of your people even saved the life of Mandalore many cycles ago.  But you break your oaths just as easily as anyone else.”  I raised my eyebrow and said inquisitively, “Then why join us in the battles to come?”  She smirked and said, “A true Mand’oad cannot resist honorable combat.  And I can tell that you are an honorable man.  The debt that the Mandalore is owed for most of our Protectors falling on Malachor is still yet to be paid.  And I intend to collect with each dar’jetii head we take.”  I nodded solemnly and said, “I fear that you shall have ample opportunity to avenge your people.”  I asked Bastila who had been standing there, “Where shall we make course for?”  She thought about that and said with a grim smile, “I have a thought about where our destination shall be.  Set course for Kashyyyk.”

With the course laid in for Kashyyyk, there was little to do but wait.  Bastila had explained that the Sith had a slaving operation on Kashyyyk.  She also explained that the planets indigenous inhabitants, the Wookies, were fearsome warriors, and that they had a deep sense of duty.  Should the Republic liberate their world, they would be sure to join the fight against the Sith Empire.  I sensed through our bond that something was troubling Bastila.  But I trusted her to tell me in her own time, should it pertain to our mission.  I chose to spend my time in my room.  Saber drills in such a small space would normally be ill-advised, but I wanted to practice use of the blade in closed quarters combat.  Soresu was practically ready made for combat in such a small space.  The blade was balanced in my hand, like an extension of my limb.  I had not realized how empty my hand had felt without the blade, until I held it.  The elegant white bark hilt and the matching white blade which sprung from it had an ethereal beauty to them, that almost seemed too good to be true.  I deactivated the blade and knelt on the floor to begin my daily meditations.  The mental images that began were peaceful.  _A rain forest with giant trees.  They stood as tall as a Coruscanti skyscraper.  Where I stood though was shrouded in perpetual shadows.  The forest floor.  I saw a figure striding towards me.  The figure wore a black cloak.  His body was covered with scarred armor that had seen many battles.  And the face looking back at me wore a mask.  It had a horizontal visor where its wearer would be able to see.  It was sloped down until it made a narrow trapezoidal shape that covered the chin of the wearer.  Red and black in color.  I was looking at Darth Revan.  He ignited a red blade which came from a brilliant silver hilt with raised edges that ran along its length.  I yelled at the Sith Lord, “Stay away!”  He kept coming.  So, I ignited my white bladed saber and clashed blades with him._   As soon as the blades united, I woke from my meditation in a start.

Bastila stared at me concerned and said, “Another vision?”  I nodded and told her about what I had seen.  She seemed as disturbed by the visions as I was.  I said to her quietly, “Are you sure Revan died?  It is possible he survived.”  She shook her head adamantly as though trying to convince herself.  “No.  Revan is dead.  I’m sure.”  I nodded and said, “Okay, I believe you.  But why am I seeing these things?”  I stood up and began pacing the floor.  Just as I was about to speak again to Bastila, Carth came into the room and said, “Ice said E.T.A. of thirty minutes.”  I nodded and said, “Thank you Commander.”  Bastila and I walked outside of the room.  She walked up to the bridge, but I was interested in learning more about our newest companion.  Juhani sat down on the couch in the lounge area.  I said to her, “We’ll be reaching Kashyyyk soon.  I wanted to get to know you a bit before we do.”  The Cathar Knight said, “There is not much to tell.  I was orphaned when I was younger.  And I found I had strength in the Force.  I went to the Jedi and found my aunt.  She agreed to train me as my Master.  Then you know the rest of the story.”

The lush world below shone with a verdant vivacity.  But the view through the vidscreen was marred by a broad slash of charred blackness in the forest, the size of a small continent.  And above the world sat a Sith warship.  Ice assured us that the enemy vessel wouldn’t be able to scan her ship as we zoomed down towards an LZ.  Our destination was a tree village in which Bastila had contacts.  The Wroshyr Tree Villages of the Wookies were a beautifully simplistic sight as the ship zoomed down onto a landing platform.  But there was a dark tension beneath the surface of the picturesque setting.  I voiced as much to my companions and said, “Juhani, Carth, it may be best if you stayed and watched the ship.  It’s our only way off this world.”  They both nodded, though a bit reluctantly.  Ice, Bastila, and I walked down the gangplank onto the wooden platform.  I knelt down and put my hand to the wood.  It was strong.  Strong enough to bear the weight of a starship with ease.  I stood and began to walk with the others along the wide walkways.  I said to Bastila, “There is much fear here.”  She nodded.  Ice snorted and said, “I could figure that out without your Force.  The Wookies are having their homes destroyed by the Sith Empire.  And many are being enslaved.  Of course, they are afraid.”  I considered her words and then responded, “That assessment is accurate … but there is something more to it I believe.”

After about ten minutes, we entered the main Wookie village.  Everything bespoke of a fragile primitive culture.  Little technology was visible.  The Wookies eyed us warily and some bellowed out challenges in their language, Shyriiwook.  Outsiders seemed to be allowed yet not welcome.  That was unsurprising in a civilization beset by slavers.  We made our way to the Chieftain’s Lodge.  Two Wookie guards inside barred our path and growled in their native language.  They demanded to know why we sought an audience.  I replied, “We seek an audience to speak with your leader.  We believe that we can aid the Wookies.”  They seemed shocked that I appeared to understand their language and started talking amongst themselves, asking whether they thought I understood.  I chuckled and said, “I assure you my friends, I can understand Shyriiwook.  A beautifully complex language.”  The Wookies stepped aside and allowed us to walk inside.  Within the Great Hall, was a throne upon which a gray pelted Wookie sat.  The Chief was obviously a village elder.  He had ten armed guards within the hall, all of which were armed with long swords, spears, or bowcasters.  Bastila, and I bowed low to the leader.  Ice belatedly bowed as well.  Bastila said to the Chieftain, “Hello mighty Freyyr.  We come today representing the Jedi Exiles and the Republic.  We hope to free you from Sith slavery, and in return hope you will join the Republic war effort.”  The old Wookie seemed to contemplate her words and said warily that he has no reason to think that the Republic would not seek to enslave his people.  Bastila also appeared to understand Shyriiwook, because she said, “I assure you my lord, we do not enslave even our enemies.  Slavery is a vile crime in the Republic.”  The Wookie again considered her words and said that the Jedi were known for their honesty.  He asked to see our blades of light if we truly were Jedi.  Without hesitation, Bastila and I reached for our weapons and ignited them.  Her weapon was a verdant green that made one picture a lush rainforest such as those of Kashyyyk.  And my blade was the white of a snowy alpine ridge.  The Wookie roared in approval and said that if we were true to our word, he would be true to his.  We bowed low again and exited the hut.

I said to Bastila, “Do we have a Republic army or Exile task force we can call in?”  She winced and said, “No.  The Republic has been pushed back in this sector and is unwilling to risk an entire invasion force for a non-Republic world.  The Jedi Exiles have lost more than half of our Knights since the Scourge of Malachor.  We are scattered and divided.  I have sent word to some of them that Ilum is now a sanctuary we will be able to utilize.  We will be on our own.”  I raised my eyebrow incredulously and said, “You realize there is a Sith warship above this world … and they have shown no qualms about bombarding worlds.”  Bastila nodded grimly and said, “Yes.  We will have to find a way out of that particular problem.”  I thought for a moment and then grinned.  “I may have an idea.”  My plan centered around the belief that the Sith would have no desire to waste resources.  They used the Wroshyr trees that were cut down.  And they mined whatever resources lay beneath, such as major coal deposits.  They also wanted the Wookies alive as a slave population.  The plan almost seemed too simple.  We would be an annoyance.  Sabotage some equipment here and there.  Defeat one or two enemy squads.  Nothing to be too disruptive, but to accrue additional scrutiny.  The inevitable response to local insurrection would be for the enemy warship to come in atmosphere.  It would be a powerful show of force for the locals and discourage rebellion.  And an opportunity.  Ice grinned and said, “It’s crazy … I like it.  Knew you had it in you Stranger.”  Bastila raised her eyebrow and said, “What about reprisals against the Wookies.”  I replied, “We will defend them as best we can.  But if we do nothing.  Their entire race will be enslaved by the Sith.  From what I’ve read, it’s happened to numerous other species.”

That first night, we trekked through the Wroshyr forest.  The jungle floors were too dangerous to traverse easily.  There were any number of predators in the alien environment.  So Bastila and I leapt between the various trees with the power of the Force.  Ice instead used a Mandalorian jump pack along with a grappling hook, to traverse the trees.  It took three hours to reach the edge of the blackened remnants that had once been lush forestland.  Bastila whispered, “So much … death.”  I thought I saw a tear fall down her face.  I put my hand on her shoulder and said, “Rebirth shall come.”  I pointed to the ash that had accumulated in the no-man’s-land and said, “Think of what beautiful trees will be born from that revitalized soil.”  She smiled at me and said, “Thank you, Cal.”  We leapt down the series of branches and slid down the final stretch until we finally reached the surface of Kashyyyk.  We crept forward low to the ground and scoped out the landscape.  I brought out a pair of binoculars and looked on the horizon.  There appeared to be a mine to the east.  What looked like a military encampment nearby, and a depot with large machines for cutting down and processing Wroshyr trees, an arduous process.  I whispered to Bastila, “That transportation depot looks to be the least guarded.  And the least likely to receive an extreme response.  I recommend we strike there.”  Ice and Bastila nodded in agreement.  We crept along at a slow and deliberate pace watching for Sith patrols which would blend in well during the night with their black armor.

The Sith must have been confident in their operation, because we had no issues reaching the depot without any resistance.  And by observing the facility itself, there appeared to be no more than ten guards to watch over the same number of large heavy machines.  My military training kicked in.  I gestured with my hands using military code signals to my companions.  Gesturing with two fingers pointed to the left means approach the enemy from the left.  Hand held outward means wait.  Then a fist means attack.  Repeatedly pointing at any enemy with one finger means lay down fire as a feint to distract the enemy.  I told Bastila to approach the enemy from the left and then wait in hiding until Ice drew enemy fire from cover with distracting shots.  Then she would approach from behind and defeat the enemies on the left flank.  I would take the right.

Bastila and I wordlessly slipped away in the darkness to stalk behind the enemy lines.  When Ice’s blaster fire drew the enemy squads, Bastila and I sprinted forward with our lightsabers ignited and sliced down the Imperial opposition.  Within moments the ten-man outpost was reduced to nothing.  Several grenades placed near the fuel in the depot and against each vehicle, assured that a bright orange blast would illuminate the Kashyyyk night and badly delay Sith operations in this little sector.  By the time Sith troops reached the wreckage, our band was already high in the safety of the trees.  When we reached the Wookie village, Ice clapped me on the back and said, “Good job General.”  I raised my eyebrow questioningly and said, “General?”  Bastila laughed and said, “Technically yes.  All of the Jedi Exiles have been granted the rank of General by the Republic.  That’s quite an impressive jump in rank, former leftenant.”  I chuckled at that.  The Wookies were in brighter spirits that night after hearing our report that some of the machine that decimated their forests had been destroyed.  But a dark cloud still hung over them.  I hear whispers in Shyriiwook when the villagers did not think I was listening.  The whispers were about slavers that would take people when they left the town.  A troupe of Wookie children, going with a few elders to learn about hunting and gathering had been taken.  The elders were found killed, and the children gone.  Likely slaves for the Empire.

I frowned at the dilemma facing the Wookies.  The only solution I could see, would be for us to lay in wait for these slavers and follow them back to their base.  I told this plan to Bastila, but she looked uncertain.  “We’d be allowing Wookies to walk into a trap.”  I nodded hesitantly and said, “I know.  But they have children.  What if they haven’t been taken to the Empire yet?  What if we could free them?”  Ice shrugs and said, “It’s risky Cal.  There’s a chance the Wookies will be taken before we’d be able to help.”  I pondered their objections and conceded that it was ethically questionable.  Then I realized something and steeled my face with a look of resolve.  “I know one thing that slavers would probably be eager to purchase for the Sith.”  My two companions raised their eyebrows questioningly.  “A Jedi.”

The next day, I was being walked out of camp by Ice in handcuffs.  She prodded me forward with an electro-whip.  It wasn’t long on our walk, before we were surrounded not by humans or red-skinned Sith as I had expected.  But by Wookies.  The leader of the group had blackish fur and bellowed in Shyriiwook, “Why do you carry this human in chains?”  Ice prodded me, and I translated.  She replied, “I had heard that there were some slavers in the area.  I wondered if they would be interested in purchasing a Jedi.  I hear the Sith have big bounties on Jedi heads.  Especially live Jedi.”  The Wookie responded in his native tongue, “You captured a Jedi?”  Again, Ice prodded violently, and I translated.  She put on the cocky smirk of a smuggler and said, “I had a squad.  It’s a lot smaller now.  But hey, less shares that way.  Want to make an offer for him?”  The Wookie said in Shyriiwook, “Five hundred credits.”  When I translated, Ice scoffed and said, “The bounty is for ten thousand credits.  Minimum I’m willing to take, just because the Sith don’t like smugglers like myself, is twenty-five hundred credits.”  The Wookies growled in anger, but the leader held up his hand and said reluctantly, “Okay human.  Twenty-five hundred.  But we want his light sword.”  Ice grinned and said, “I’m glad to part with the thing.”  She handed the prod over to one of the Wookies and shoved me towards them.  She then tossed my lightsaber into the leaders waiting hand.  In an instant, I had been bought as property.  Ice was given her credits and made her way back to the village.

I sensed Bastila nearby watching.  And I sensed her worry.  We had had a fierce fight the night before.  She had told me that my plan was beyond reckless.  That I was risking my life for nothing.  I countered that I was risking my life for the lives of others.  There was no truer thing that a Jedi or in my previous life, a soldier, could do.  She insisted on following me to the camp, but I shook my head adamantly and told her that the Jedi Exiles needed a leader.  And that she was it.  I was a foot soldier in this war and would gladly risk myself to keep her safe and free the Wookies.  She was not happy in the slightest and when I sensed her nearby I feared that she would follow to the camp.  But she remained as I had asked.  The forced march through the trees was brutal even for a Jedi.  These Wookie slavers moved with a stamina that was simply unnatural for a human.  I spent much of the journey wondering how an individual could sell members of their own species into slavery.  The answer was a simple one though.  It boiled down to a mixture of fear and greed.  Fear that they themselves could become enslaved.  But if they ingratiated themselves with the enslavers and made themselves valuable, they were relatively secure.  And greed, because their own economic status surely benefited from the slave trade.

Around the end of the day’s forced march, I entered an obscure base inside of a hollowed out Wroshyr.  The sights within were simply … horrifying.  There were Wookies kept in cages and chained to the walls while they bellowed in anguish.  Each time they made a sound, the Wookie slavers would beat them with clubs.  I was walked along until they shoved me into a cell with another Wookie who sat down dejected and broken.  I whispered to the Wookie in basic and said, “It will be alright my friend.  We will get out of this situation yet.”  He groaned in Shyriiwook in pain and replied, “There is no escape from the betrayers.  The metal beasts take us to the skies.  Nobody returns.”  I looked to the Wookie sympathetically and said, “What is your name my friend?”  He replied that his name was Zaalbar.  I smiled and said, “You have my word Zaalbar that I will do everything in my power to free you and your people.”  He growled hesitantly at this, but I saw a bit of hope in his eyes.  I just had to figure out how I would get out of this cage.  I checked the bars and they were solid metal.  They wouldn’t easily break even with a powerful blast of the Force.  And that would alert every slaver.  I didn’t have my saber.  Yet I felt as though I had some kind of experience with lock picking.  I could not recall how I knew the skill.  Likely through my military training.  I realized that my knowledge of lock picking and my strength with the Force could be used together.  I knelt on the floor and closed my eyes.  The inner mechanism of the lock appeared in my mind.  It was difficult to concentrate on twisting the different cogs just so, but eventually, I had unlocked the cell and gently pushed it open.

 Thankfully, no slavers had noticed the slight squeak of the cell door.  They seemed to be bunched around a table eating and drinking as though it were some kind of feast day.  I crept along the shadows and continued to open doors to the Wookie cells.  I whispered for the Wookies to be quiet and remain in their cells with the doors slightly ajar until I was able to engage the slavers.  Then they would be able to escape.  When I finally reached the cage that held about twenty Wookie children, I sensed their terror.  I used the Force and projected a sense of calm.  I hoped that this sensation would help calm them as well, and it seemed to work slightly.  With their cage unlocked, I had freed all of the Wookies.  Yet the battle was far from over.  There were nearly twenty well-armed Wookies that stood between us and freedom.  Wookies were among the fiercest fighters in the galaxy, known for their strength.  Even a Jedi could balk at such odds.  But I had no choice.  Over two hundred Wookies were here.  And they needed help.  I crept closer and closer to the table until I knew that they had heard me.  I then strode out calmly and said to the assembled group, “Hello.  I am here to offer you a chance at mercy.  You may come back with me to the village of Rwookrrorro for judgement should you allow me and your other prisoners to be free.  If not, you will all die.  Here and now.”  The Wookies engaged in what could only be described as a laugh.  Their leader stood and ignited my lightsaber.  He said menacingly, “Get back in your cage, little Jedi.  Before I cut you in two and let the Sith collect your corpse.”  I grinned and used the Force to rip the blade from his hands and into my own.  The white glow bathed my face and much of the chamber.

With a sudden burst of speed, I leapt amongst the slavers and sliced away with my blade, utilizing the more chaotic and random strikes of Shii-Cho.  I lifted Wookies with the Force and sliced them in half.  It was a fierce fight, and I took more than one brutal blow.  By the end, I had received a wicked claw swipe that sliced through my clothing and ripped at the flesh on my chest.  I was bloody and bruised with a nasty black eye.  But the slavers were dead in a heap at my feet.  Only the leader remained.  That was when my Wookie cellmate walked towards us and said in Shyriiwook, “Brother.  You have shamed our clan.  Our village.  Our people.  Do you have anything to say for yourself?”  He growled and sprung forward to attack his brother, but my blade stopped him permanently.  The Wookies gathered around me and cheered in exuberance.  Our journey back to the village was one of happiness and hope.  But many of the former slaves were injured and tired.  The journey took nearly three days instead of one.  By the time we were in view of the village, the sun was sinking low on the horizon.  It would not be long before the three moons rose into the sky.  I sensed Bastila and I could tell through our Force bond that she could sense me.  Within minutes, I could see her running towards our group.  When she reached me, she threw her arms around me in a hug.  I hugged her back despite the pain from my chest wound.  When we finally let go, I saw a flash of anger on her face.  She punched me in the arm.  “Oww!” I exclaimed in surprise.  “Don’t ever do that again!  I thought you were off world in some slave camp or in the mines!  If you didn’t return by tomorrow I was going to storm the Imperial base and search for you!”  I cut off her rant by hugging her again.  I said placatingly, “I’m fine.  And more importantly, so are the Wookies.  My life … it isn’t as important.  I’m just a soldier.  If I can save someone else by sacrificing myself, I will do it.”  Bastila reached up and put her hand on my face.  She said desperately, “Cal, I … the Exiles need you.  Don’t rush to throw your life away.”

That night the Wookies celebrated the return of their people.  And the great shame of Wookie slavers had been defeated.  We were brought before the Wookie Chieftain and Zaalbar who was apparently the son of the Chief.  The leader of the tribe said tiredly, “You have cleansed a great shame from my family.  And you have freed both my son and my people.  Until Kashyyyk is free it is unlikely for other tribes to follow the Republic but know this.  You have the loyalty of our tribe.”  I bowed respectfully and said, “I thank you, Mighty Freyyr.  And you have my pledge.  We will free your world.”

I walked briskly outside of the hall and looked up at the Wroshyr canopies.  Somewhere above them was a warship that could rain down hellfire on this picturesque village.  I felt a twinge of anger, thinking about the Sith Empire and their brutalities.  I crouched and mustered all of my strength to leap high into the trees and land on a branch.  I leapt up and up until I could finally see the night sky.  There were millions … no, billions of stars in that sky.  And trillions of sentients living around them.  I closed my eyes and felt the threads of life that connected us all.  The threads all strung together to sew a tapestry.  That tapestry was the Living Force.  And it was beautiful.  I chuckled and realized that my Jedi philosophy classes had taken root.  But the problem of how to deal with the Sith warship was not solved.  The disruption of the Empire’s logging and slaving operations had failed to garner the response I had expected.  To be fair, this area was but a small portion of the Empire’s efforts on Kashyyyk, yet still I figured they would respond to any hint of insurrection.  I narrowed my eyes and realized, that I would have to take matters into my own hands. 


	9. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, events, or locations within this story. All are owned by Lucasfilm, Bioware, and any other companies that have ties to the Knights of the Old Republic series. This is merely a fan fiction inspired by the events of that series.

The next night, while the others slept, I crept along to the no-man’s-land.  And I made it into the Sith camp.  There was a defensive force of about one hundred soldiers.  But what worried me more was a figure dressed in dark robes with her hood drawn up over her head.  I sensed Darkness within her.  What she was became quite clear.  A Lady of the Sith.  She did not sense me yet and I had some important decisions to make about my strategy.  The first thing to do would be cutting off communications.  Sneaking along between the durasteel structures, I reached the command center.  I leapt onto the roof and ignited my lightsaber, slicing through the metal in a circle, around where I stood.  I fell through and landed inside the control room.  Inside were three red-skinned Sith warriors and several human officers.  I used the Force to propel my blade into the central console, severing all communications from the base to the warship.  I then called the blade back to my hand and said calmly, “In the name of the Republic, surrender, and I swear you shall not be harmed.”  The human officers put their hands in the air to surrender, but the red-skinned warriors snarled and moved to attack the officers.  “Traitors!”  I leapt forward in front of the surrendered Imperials and held forward my blade to block their oncoming blades.  “Surrender!”  They sprung forward with fury, and I had no choice but to slice them down in a heap.

I turned back to the officers and said, “I am glad that you saw reason.  Please hand me your weapons.”  They handed over their blaster pistols.  I used my lightsaber to render the weapons into useless slag.  I then ordered the officers to stay here and not raise any alarm.  Sprinting outside of the command center, I came face to face with the dark warrior.  She was a tentacle-headed Nautolan.  Her eyes flashed with recognition and surprise.  She then laughed and said, “Oh, Cal!  My Master will be so pleased that you’ve come back to play.  Are you still being dragged along on Bastila’s little crusade?”  I frowned at her and said, “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage madam.  I’ve had a little bit of trouble with my memory recently.”  The Nautolan smirked and bowed mockingly.  “My apologies.  My name is Lady Rhaelia of the Sith.”  I nodded and said, “Pleased to meet you.  I suppose it would be futile for me to tell you to abandon the dark path?”  She grinned ferally and said, “I believe so.  And I suppose it would be futile for me to tell you to give in to your anger?  To embrace the power the Force has bestowed upon us?”  I nodded with a regretful smile.  She ignited two red bladed lightsabers and I ignited my white one.  Her eyes widened, and she whispered, “I thought the white blades were a myth.”  She then leapt forward and swung low at my legs with her right hand and reserved her second blade to parry the strike I made against her.  I sidestepped the blow and made a slash towards the hilt of her striking blade.  The saber’s hilt was cleaved in two and its blade dissolved into nothingness.  She snarled and redoubled her attack bringing down powerful blows upon me.  The attacks steadily pushed me back, but I managed to flip backwards and land on the roof of the building.  She moved to leap up as well but hadn’t anticipated that I had crouched at the edge.  A kick to her sternum sent her second blade flying.  I used the Force to pull the blade to my other hand, and to keep her from falling.  I then lifted her and placed her down gently on the roof.

I threw the blade back to her.  She looked up at me in shock and said, “Why did you help me?  You Jedi are nothing but hypocrites and murderers!  You killed Xendor and his followers for simply having a different point of view!”  I lowered my head and said sadly, “From what I have read, the Jedi under Awdrysta Pina were wrong to do what they did.  Nobody is perfect.  Not the Jedi.  And also, not the Sith.  But to live our lives for vengeance, killing the descendants of those that did wrong to those that came long before us, is simple folly.  Please think on this Lady Rhaelia.  I wish you good fortune.”  I bowed to her and turned my back trusting that she would not attack.  And she didn’t.  She just sat on the roof cradling her saber and looking off into the night.  Despite the noise of our duel, I was lucky that nearly all of the Sith troops were stationed around the perimeters, far away from the center of the camp.  My plan still had a good chance.  I crept forward stealthily towards the Sith fighters docked on the base.  I leapt behind the controls of one of the sloped ships and started up its engines.  I was in the air before any of the Sith troops below were able to fire a shot at me.  It took only a few blasts from the fighter's canons to destroy the remaining Sith troops.  The night sky was beautiful from the cockpit.  But I had trouble navigating the vessel.  I must have never flown inside of a Sith fighter, because its controls were bizarre and confusing.  It took me a solid five minutes of flying over the canopies to develop a steady rhythm that would hopefully fool the docking officials aboard the Sith ship in orbit.

I flew up towards the warship and spoke into the comm unit on the ship.  “Hello, this is fighter 5TY7.”  I had gotten the number from the ship’s serial code.  “Our communications were damaged in a rebel attack and I was sent by Lady Rhaelia with messages to the ship, and a request for all available troopers to rendezvous at the command center.  My ship is damaged … need to land immediately.”  My breath caught in my throat.  This was the dangerous part.  They could blast me out of the air or send dozens of fighters after me if they didn’t believe my story.  “Cleared to land pilot.  We are dispatching troop transports as we speak.”  I breathed out a sigh in relief, and then reactivated the comm to say, “Acknowledged.”  Seeing the ship up close was an intimidating sight.  Seeing the array of troops and fighters in the hangar even more so.  But I had a plan to deal with that.  I yelled into my comm, “Repeat, engine is damaged!  I’m coming in too hot!”  I slammed into the hangar crashing into fighters and knocking them into nearby fuel depots causing a series of explosions that rocked the hangar.  As the ship skidded, I opened the cockpit hatch and discreetly leapt out.  They would think I had died or very likely might forget to look for me momentarily in the chaos of the hangar.  And many troops had been wounded by the intensity of the blasts.  Creeping along the edges of the hangar, I ducked into an adjacent corridor.  I somehow knew the layout of this ship almost perfectly.  I could practically pull up an image of a map in my mind.  It made sense.  I had infiltrated a similar, if not identical ship with Bastila’s strike force.  Left, right, right, left, elevator three levels up.  I dodged out of view from numerous patrols.  Others I simply had to do battle with, and dispatched as quickly as possible, after they predictably refused offers to surrender.

When I exited the elevator, I stood upon the bridge of the warship.  Igniting my lightsaber, I quickly stabbed the control panel for the lift, ensuring that no help could arrive to drive me from the bridge.  The crew appeared to be made up of several technicians and officers from a variety of races, a troop of Sith warriors, and another figure shrouded in dark robes.  The figure turned, and I saw a vaguely familiar face.  It was a male Mon Calamari.  He grinned maliciously and said, “Ah, Cal.  I figured that this silly diversion may have been a plot of yours.  I wasn’t sure that you were on this world, but my Master felt certain that you had survived your previous encounter.  And the strategy had your flavor to it.  Diversion, misdirection.”  I gave a small grin and said, “No offense my Lord, but your forces made it rather easy.”  The Sith Lord sighed and said, “Yes.  These Sith.”  He waved his hands dismissively at his troops, “They are nothing but brutes.  How they created an Outer Rim Empire is anyone’s guess.  Give me a good battalion of Republic troops any day.”  I raised my eyebrow questioningly.  He laughed and said, “What?  Just because I left the Exiles, you think I wouldn’t love some of the turned Republic troops under my command?  Lady Malak and her favorites hog them all up while I’m given this, to hold a backwater slave world.”  I frowned and said angrily, “I’ve heard that the Mon Cala and Quarrens have faced enslavement on their homeworld.  Most free peoples from the two species live in Republic space.  How can you fight for the government that keeps your own people enslaved?”  The Mon Cala scoffed and said, “My people, are the Lords and Ladies of the Sith.  We have been gifted command over the Force.  All others are slaves to our will.  Only the Force allows us to break our chains.  My people are just more literal slaves.  If they were not strong enough to defeat their enemy, they deserve no better.”  I shook my head in disbelief at his words and ignited my blade.  He narrowed his eyes and muttered, “White blade?”  It was the fourth time recently that someone had mentioned the color of my blade in awe or confusion.  I did not understand it.  To me, it just seemed like any other lightsaber color.  But the Sith’s concentration was not broken for long.

He ignited his red blade with its two side vents that gave it the look of a broadsword, and said arrogantly, “When I bring your head, and Bastila’s to Lady Malak, she’ll take me on as her apprentice.  So, I thank you for hand delivering yourself to me.”  I scowled at his threat to Bastila, and said, “This may not go how you think.  I’m still offering you mercy in exchange for your surrender.”  The blue-tinted Mon Cala snarled at that and sprung forth.  But his anger imbalanced him.  I blocked his wild strike to the left.  I block his strike to the right and then slashed through his form much to the Sith Lord’s surprise.  The Sith warriors then attacked but were felled with ease.  And the technicians and officers seemed willing to accept terms of surrender.  Once I controlled the bridge of the vessel, I spoke over the ship’s intercom and said, “All Sith troopers, get to the escape pods.  Republic agents have taken control of the ship and will vent all the air into space in ten minutes time, should the enemy not have taken escape pods to the planet’s surface.”

The bluff worked, and nearly all Sith troops went to the planet below.  But there were still dozens of red-skinned Sith warriors who refused to abandon ship.  I had a dilemma.  If I simply allowed them to stay aboard the ship, they would kill dozens or hundreds of Republic boarders.  In the end, I felt I had no recourse but the vent the enemy troops into space.  But my heart hurt as I did the act.  It was dishonorable.  Wrong.  But did I not owe some loyalty to the lives of Republic soldiers?  I then opened a comm channel through a nearby holonet buoy and sent an encrypted message to the Republic fleet, that a Sith dreadnought had been captured above Kashyyyk and that the planet was now free and eager to join the Republic.  It was but a day, before a task force of three Republic frigates entered the system.  It was then that I returned to the planet below, after Republic personnel had commandeered the ship.  The Wookies of the village cheered the arrival of Republic troops as liberators and hailed my friends and I as heroes.  Bastila was furious with me however.  When I first walked from the Republic shuttle, she walked up to me and slapped me clear across the face.  I expected it that time and didn’t flinch from the blow.  I simply said to her anguished face, “I’m sorry.  But I wasn’t going to risk you or any of us on a foolhardy mission like this.  Sometimes, it's best if I’m the only one taking the risk.”  Fury lit up Bastila’s face and she said, “Well maybe you don’t realize the fact that others would be hurt if something happened to you.”  Then sadness overcame her features and she said, “We are supposed to be in this fight together.”  She walked away, and I could feel her roiling emotions through our Force bond.  Carth walked up wide grin and slapped a hand on my back.  “General, in all my life, I’ve never heard of such a brave and crazy military strategy working.”  I chuckled and said, “Crazy?  That’s not a very polite way to speak to your Jedi General Carth.”  He snorted and walked off.  Ice strode up as well and said with a reserved smile, “You impress me Stranger.  You could pass for a Mandalorian if you weren’t such a … Jedi.”  I grinned and replied, “Sorry to disappoint Ice.  Maybe someday, there’ll be a Mandalorian Jedi.”  She snorted and retorted, “Not likely.”

My companions all celebrated with the Wookies, but I simply wasn’t in the mood.  Too many had lost their lives.  And by trying to protect Bastila, I had alienated her.  Feeling dejected, I walked back to the ship tiredly.  I retired to my chambers and sunk into a deep meditation.  _I sensed a placid rolling sea.  But the pleasant scene was quickly interrupted.  I saw red-skinned warriors.  They held their hands out to me as though asking for help.  They were drowning in the sea and gasping for breath.  I began to swim down and try to help them, when a masked warrior intercepted me.  Revan.  He ignited his red blade, and our two weapons clashed._   This was when I gasped out of my meditations.  Tears flowed down my face, remembering what I had done to the Sith warriors aboard the warship.  It felt as though I had committed an offense against the Force itself.  What gave me the right to attack any children of the Force?  I held my knees and rested my head against them.  That was when Bastila ran into the room.  She said, “Cal … I sensed your distress.  Through our bond.”  She rushed over to me and sat next to me on the floor.   I felt her put her arm around my shoulder and she pulled me closer.  I told her about my vision.  About my actions on the dreadnought.  She said sympathetically, “Cal.  We must make difficult decisions from time to time.  We are at war.  Had you taken me with you, you would not feel solely responsible.  We could have discussed the matter and come to a conclusion.”  She just held me as I shook.  When I finally calmed down I looked into her eyes and said, “Thank you.  I may not be able to remember anything, but I feel like there has been nobody who has been there for me the way you have been.  I’m sorry I didn’t bring you on the mission.  I won’t do that again.”  She smiled slightly and said, “You had better not.  Remember, I’m not exactly new to fighting.  I’ve been fighting for the last five years.  I’ve lead numerous campaigns across the galaxy.”  I nodded and said, “I know you’re obviously capable … I just can’t imagine what I would do if anything happened to you.”

I stood up slowly and offered a hand to Bastila to help her up.  She took it and quickly rose to her feet.  I decided it was time to rejoin the festivities.  But when I exited the ship I was surprised to see the chief’s son, Zaalbar, staring back at me.  He said in Shyriiwook, “Hello my friend.  You saved me from a life of slavery.  You saved my tribe from the Sith.  I pledge my life to yours.”  My eyebrows rose in surprise.  I had heard of a Wookie Life Debt, but they were a solemn thing.  I said to the Wookie, “I am deeply honored Zaalbar, but you need not offer such a thing.  Your people need you more than I.”  He replied, “I can serve my people best on your journey, Jedi.  If you will accept my service, I will aid you in your struggle to defeat the Sith.”  I bowed my head and said, “Zaalbar, I accept your pledge.  And I pledge to aid your people to the best of my ability.”


	10. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, events, or locations within this story. All are owned by Lucasfilm, Bioware, and any other companies that have ties to the Knights of the Old Republic series. This is merely a fan fiction inspired by the events of that series.

The festivities ran late into the evening.  I forget some of the details, but I believe I challenged a Wookie to a drinking contest.  This went about as one would expect.  I woke up aboard the ship the next morning with a raging headache and the worst hangover of my life … or at least since I could remember.  I stood from bed and walked into the common area.  As soon as Bastila saw me, a wide smirk spread across her face.  “Hello you lush.”  I winced and said, “Not so loud.”  She frowned contritely, but the expression never made it up to her eyes which shone with something akin to glee.  Bastila then mock whispered, “We are en route to Manaan.”  I nodded slowly and said, “What is so special about this world?”  “Nothing.  Except for the fact that nearly all of the galaxy’s kolto is produced there.”  I nodded and said, “Okay, so it’s important.  What’s the situation on the ground?”  Bastila grimaced and said, “It’s … delicate.  The people on Manaan are the Selkath, an aquatic species with long and flat heads.  They are a world of isolationists, and they care a great deal about tending to the health of their oceans.  Furthermore, the Selkath abhor conflict.  They tolerate no violence on their planet.  Agents of both the Sith and the Republic coexist on the world to purchase kolto in large quantities.  Should either power attack, the Selkath have threatened to destroy their kolto reserves leaving the galaxy without its largest natural source.  We’ve managed to smuggle the plant offworld through great risk, as have the Sith according to our spies, but it simply doesn’t grow quite right on other ocean worlds.  Something about Manaan is special and produces the high-quality healing substance.”  I began to pace and said, “So, this is a mission of diplomacy and finesse.  I better read up on Selkath law and culture.”

I spent the rest of that day in my cabin reading about the long history of the Selkath people.  They had managed to avoid galactic notice until a few centuries ago when a party of Duros hyper-route charters happened upon the planet.  The people were observed to be warm and kind to their own people, but their attitude towards outsiders was colder.  They were ready and willing to aid outlanders and heal them, but they did not trust so easily.  Nearly their entire planet was covered in water with only a few archipelagos breaking the surface of the vast seas.  Because of the immense offworld presence on the planet, the Selkath built a floating metropolis.  The city was called Kultai, the word meant kolto in Selkath.  The Selkath have a group of independent Force users called the Order of Shasa.  It is believed that Shasa is a Selkath term for some deity, possibly even the Force.  Both Jedi and Sith had sent emissaries to try and recruit the Order into their own larger organizations, but the Selkath seemed disinterested.  Their Order did not practice light or dark.  It focused on the natural balance, like the tides of the ocean.  Overall the Order seemed to serve as great healers for their people, and sentinels against foreign invasion that would defend their species.  On the streets of Kultai, brawls between Sith and Republic foot soldiers were not uncommon.  It was said that the red-skinned Sith were not allowed by their own leaders on the planet due to their warrior instincts.  The brawls ended with punishments for both sides, including restrictions on kolto exports or increases in tariffs.  Consequently, officers tried to keep their troops on a tight leash.  Smuggling kolto offworld was a capital offense on Manaan and would result in the death penalty.

As I finished my reading and prepared to sleep before we reached the planet, I heard a knock on my door.  I said tiredly, “Come in.”  Bastila walked inside of the room and closed the door behind her.  She wore the tan outfit of a Jedi.  I began to sit up from my bed when she said, “No, it’s okay, you can lay back.  I know you must be tired.  I just wanted to go over our strategy on Manaan.”  I replied, “What did you have in mind?”  She seemed to think over her words for a moment and then said hesitantly, “I think we should leave the others aboard the ship.”  I raised my eyebrows questioningly.  She answered my unspoken question by saying, “Manaan is … delicate.  Ice seems to be an honorable woman, but she is a warrior itching for a fight.  Zaalbar has a natural hatred for the Empire that enslaved his people.  Carth … well I don’t know exactly what his problem is, but he has a chip on his shoulder.  Juhani has also touched darkness too recently.”  I thought on her words and then replied, “I understand your concerns about some of our companions, but we should bring Juhani.  The best way for her to embrace the light, will be through moving on and continuing to learn.  I actually thought you might consider taking her as your padawan.  The two of you have got on well enough, and you’ve been a great teacher to me.”  She sputtered at my words and said, “M-me?  A teacher?  No.  You would be better suited.  I don’t have the right temperament.”  I chuckled and replied, “I wouldn’t be a Jedi today if it weren’t for you.  You’ll do fine.”

That night, Bastila asked Juhani if she would like to learn as her padawan and join the two of us on our mission to Manaan.  I sensed Bastila’s unease through our Force Bond, yet I also sensed a reluctant eagerness that I’m not sure she realized existed.  She would make a good teacher.  The rest of that night I heard Bastila teaching her student aspects of the Jedi Code, and practicing saber combat with her.  The next morning, I walked out into the common area and saw Juhani and Bastila in a deep meditation and did not want to disturb them.  Instead, I went over to the cargo hold where Carth liked to lounge.  He lay atop several crates and simply stared at the metal walls for hours.  He did so at the moment when I walked in.  “Carth.  I want to ask you a question.”  He remained silent but looked to me as though waiting to hear it.  I continued, “What is your problem with the Jedi?  And why do you treat Bastila so disrespectfully?”  He narrowed his eyes and replied, “I have a problem with you Jedi for any number of reasons.  You’re the reason why this war even started, over a bullshit religious dispute.  You’ve been given command of the Republic military, but you keep secrets from your own officers.  And the biggest problem I have is Revan and Malak.  Did you know that I served with Malak?  She was called Regan then.  One of the best Generals I had ever seen.  Nice woman too.  Funny.  She led our forces to victory on Dxun over Onderon, on Stenos, Elom, Vorzyd, and a dozen other systems.  But after Malachor, she joined up with her fellow Jedi traitor, Darth Revan.  They knew all of the Republic strategies, because they wrote them.  A third of our fleet was caught off guard in drydocks over Telos.  They were destroyed.  And then Revan gave the orders to bombard Telos when they refused to surrender.  And I have a problem with Bastila in particular because she keeps plenty of ‘Jedi business’ secrets to herself.  I’ve got no reason to trust her.  She was good pals with Revan and Malak you know.  Maybe she’ll be next to turn.”  I frowned angrily and said, “The Republic never had a truer defender than Bastila Shan.  You may not trust us, but you need us.  The enemy has Force users.  And we’re your answer to them whether you like it or not.”  I walked out of the cargo bay feeling annoyed.

My next stop was the cockpit.  I figured that talking to Ice would be more enjoyable than Carth’s petulant attitude.  I sunk down into the co-pilot’s seat next to Ice.  The Mandalorian warrior seemed bored.  I said to her, “Wishing there was some fighting to be had?”  She laughed heartily and said, “You know me so well.  I’ve heard that Manaan isn’t going to be fun like Kashyyyk was.”  I grinned and said, “Well that depends on whether you think diplomacy and trade regulations aren’t fun.”  She smirked and didn’t deign to give a reply to that.  I then said, “Tell me more about your people, Ice.  There isn’t much I found out about them on the holonet.”  She shrugged and said, “There’s not much to tell.  My people are warriors.”  I chuckled and said, “Any society has more to it than that.”  She sighed and then replied, “I supposed so, but it largely boils down to that simple truth.  Our people place a big emphasis on clan.  Each clan pledges itself to a house.  The houses are the most powerful clans that have acquired followers.  These include House Vizsla, House Kryze, House Saxon, House Wren, and many others.  Many clans are designated leadership over one of Mandalore’s numerous colonies in our surrounding systems.  But Mandalore itself is the center of our government.  The houses always vie for power.  Usually the passage of power goes relatively smoothly.  All of the clans that wish to put forward a candidate to replace a fallen Mandalore, choose their greatest warrior.  The warriors fight in a melee and the last one standing is the new Mandalore.  A sitting Mandalore may also be challenged to single combat over their position.  At times however, peaceful transitions do not occur and there is war between the houses.  The last one lasted for fifty-seven years.”  I nodded thoughtfully and said, “What is Mandalore like?”  I saw a hint of a smile on Ice’s face.  She responded, “It’s a beautiful world.  Much of the surface is covered in temperate forestland.  But around our major cities, the landscape turns into savannah.  Sundari, the capital, is an amazing place.  They have an ancient arena for games, our Assembly, and even an academy for our more … scholarly citizens.”  She turned her nose up a bit at that.  I asked curiously, “I’ve never seen armor like yours.  Is it Mandalorian?”  She nodded pridefully and said with a grin, “Best armor in the galaxy.  It is passed down from generation to generation.  We can modify it, but the history is all still there.  It’s made with beskar alloy.  Really well made beskar armor can stop a lightsaber strike.” 

We talked for some time about the Mandalorians and I found myself intrigued by their culture.  They certainly were a militaristic society, yet they were more than that.  As Ice had mentioned previously, they had a code of honor that drove them.  I vowed to look further into gaining Mandalore’s allegiance with the Republic.  They would make valuable allies.  By the time our talk had finished, the ship’s monitor began to flash, indicating that we were arriving at the water world of Manaan.  The stars turned back from long stretches of white into small pinpricks in the dark abyss of space.  And before us was the sapphire sphere that was our destination.  The planet’s docking authorities began to comm the ship, and a voice speaking in Selkath spoke through it.  He said, “Unidentified vessel, you are not scheduled for landing.  Identify your purpose or your ship will be impounded.”  I said calmly, “Hello, Kultai control.  This is the vessel, Ebon Hawk, and we have Republic envoys aboard that wish to speak with your leaders and convene with local Republic leadership.”  I waited some time for a response but finally the voice replied, “Clearance granted, but identities of all individuals disembarking will be confirmed.”  Ice flew the vessel through the planetary atmosphere and brought it in to land at the designated docking bay for the beautiful floating city.

I walked through the ship and found Bastila and Juhani practicing combat with wooden swords.  Bastila’s form one attacks were not the fumbling of a student first learning saber combat, but rather the expert and beautifully unpredictable art of the style.  With several strikes, Juhani had been disarmed with her stick flying out of her hand only to be grabbed by her instructor.  I heard Bastila say to Juhani, “You’re getting better.  But to master the dueling form of Makashi, you must learn to combat Shii-Cho.  That form always seeks to disarm an opponent.”  When the two Jedi saw me watching, they ceased the lesson.  I said to them, “We’ve arrived at Manaan.  Let’s go meet the welcoming committee.”  The group that met us at the gangplank certainly didn’t seem very welcoming.  There were a trio of Selkath that wore the apparel of low level dignitaries, or possibly bureaucrats.  Alongside them, were five Selkath holding blaster rifles, ready for trouble.  It was possibly just the expression that Selkaths made, but all of them seemed to be frowning.  Bastila walked out at front and said politely, “Hello, my name is Bastila Shan, Knight of the Jedi Order and General in the Republic military.  I am pleased to be able to visit your beautiful world.”  The Selkath representative at the front said primly in his native-tongue, “Welcome General.  We can direct you towards the Republic embassies if you wish.  And there, your representatives can arrange a meeting with the High Court.”  Bastila smiled and said kindly, “That will not be necessary although I thank you for your offer of assistance.  My Knights and I can find our own way.  This will also give us an opportunity to tour your magnificent city.”  The bureaucrat nodded and then motioned for his colleagues to check our credentials.  All of our ID cards checked out and we were permitted to enter the city.

The three of us walked outside of the docking bay doors and saw the splendor of the city.  All of the surfaces had a whitish-silvery sheen that gave the impression of a luxurious environment.  To our right, there was a breathtaking view of Manaan’s planetary ocean.  And to our left, we saw large shipments of a greenish paste that had been crushed out of its plant form, in crates about to be shipped offworld.  Kolto.  The most vital healing substance in the galaxy.  We continued walking through the well-ordered thoroughfares in the city, passing dozens of Selkath owned shops, catering to the wants of offworlders.  Bastila whispered to Juhani and I, “The Selkath use rampant protectionism.  It is such a costly process to get a permit in Kultai to sell goods, that most outlanders don’t bother.  Selkath shop owners have a near-monopoly.”  I nodded thoughtfully, and she continued saying, “Based on Selkath culture, the only way for us to gain Manaan’s undivided support in the war, would be to prove that it would be in their own best interests.  They are not an immoral people, but moral arguments also don’t interest their society as a whole.  Proving the Sith are evil will mean nothing, unless we prove that the Sith Empire has evil designs against them.”  I grinned and said approvingly, “A good assessment.  What do you suggest?”  Bastila shrugged and said, “Do as we told the bureaucrat.  Tour the city.  See what is happening.  Then meet with our Ambassador.”

We did as Bastila suggested.  The city was calm on the surface.  We could find no major evidence of crime or criminals.  The economy and culture seemed to be booming with all of the fountains, monuments, libraries, and other amenities that we found.  The Selkath seemed content both visibly and through the Force.  But unrest did roil beneath the surface.  It existed among the non-Selkath residents of the city.  We came face to face with the unrest in a major market square that overlooked the sea.  Two crowds of men and women stood across from each other and shouted insults.  One side wore the telltale black armor of the Sith and the other was made up of troops sporting the red and yellow armor of the Republic.  Bastila winced and said, “Great.  Now both sides are about to see their tariffs go up again.  A brawl in the middle of the city’s largest market?  What are these troopers thinking?!”  I looked over to Bastila and said, “I’ll try to handle this.”  She made as though to stop me, but I strode forward in between the two groups.  I said placatingly yet loudly, “Friends!  This locale is hardly appropriate for hashing out political disagreements.  Perhaps we should all just part ways.”  I found myself shouted down by both sides.  I then said in a more authoritative tone to the Republic troops, “Soldiers.  I am Jedi General Ashesu.  I order you back to your barracks.  Now!”  The troops hesitated for a moment as though considering my words and I thought I had gotten through to them until one of the soldiers yelled, “Get out of here Jedi!  This is soldier business!”  That chant was taken up by many of the Republic troops and while my back was turned towards them, I felt a sharp blow to the head.  I had sensed it a moment too late.

When my eyes readjusted, Bastila was above me with a frown of annoyance on her face.  She said, “I could have told you that your plan wouldn’t work.  Tensions are so high on this world that even their own officers can’t keep them in line.  Hell, there were probably some of their officers in that crowd.  Jedi are often resented by the troops, especially after Malachor.”  I groaned rubbing my head and said, “Who hit me?”  She looked as though she were trying to not laugh when she said, “Just a random Sith foot soldier, General.  You probably shouldn’t have said you were a Jedi and then turned your back to enemy troops.  They love killing Jedi.”  I sat up and saw across the square that the melee had begun.  Hundreds of soldiers were beating each other with fists and clubs.  I stood up slowly and said contritely, “Okay, I’ll check with you next time I decide to do something stupid.  I should have had more sense.”  That was when the first blaster shots rang out.  Bastila’s face turned ashen, “There’ve never been blasters in these brawls before.”  She ran forward as did, Juhani and I right behind her.  We ignited our lightsabers and began to block stray shots to keep them away from any civilians.  None had been hit yet, and most had fled the plaza, but there were corpses of soldiers on both sides laying on the avenue.  It wasn’t long before the Selkath military ran onto the scene with blasters draw and surrounded the mob of forces.  Among the military troops were five Selkath in loose fitting tunics that held curved swords.  I sensed that the Force was strong with these individuals.  We had found the Order of Shasa.

The Selkath ordered through a series of translators holding voice amplifiers for the brawlers to cease fighting or they would be fired upon.  We had sheathed our weapons and walked back behind the Selkath lines.  The brawlers refused to cease fighting and some of the forces on both sides cried out in anger and made as though to charge the Selkath.  The Selkath opened fire.  I felt the loss in the Force as over a hundred Sith and Republic troops died under the hail of fire.  I turned to Bastila in a shock and said, “We have to stop this.  What can we do?”  She shook her head sadly and said, “There’s nothing we can do.”  Juhani hung her head low sadly and said, “I feel so much … death.”  One of the Selkath Force users came up to the three of us and said, “What happened here.  We saw you deflecting their bolts away from civilians and we are grateful for that, but we need to know your role in this battle.”  Bastila quickly explained what had happened.  She told them that I had tried to stop the fight and had been assaulted.  She said that the two of them had pulled me to safety and had not interfered until blaster fire had begun.  The Selkath nodded and said, “We deem your explanation to be sufficient pending the study of surveillance recordings of the plaza.  You will be free to go to your embassy.”


	11. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, events, or locations within this story. All are owned by Lucasfilm, Bioware, and any other companies that have ties to the Knights of the Old Republic series. This is merely a fan fiction inspired by the events of that series.

The three of us walked lifelessly towards the embassy feeling emotionally drained by what we had seen.  When we were in view, we saw that the building was locked down like a fortress.  Hundreds of Republic troops were arrayed behind fortifications around the building and several turrets were manned.  I assumed that the Sith embassy looked rather similar.  No chances would be taken after what occurred today.  We were challenged at numerous checkpoints and had to prove our identity before we were allowed inside of the structure.  When soldiers saw our Jedi robes they scowled at us and kept walking towards their destinations.  Juhani whispered to Bastila, “Why do they hate us?  I sense their anger at seeing us.”  Bastila frowned sadly and said, “They blame us for the war.  To them, it is just a Jedi Civil War that the galaxy got caught up in.”  In my mind I had to question if maybe they were right.  The complex was large and winding.  It took us a good ten minutes to reach the office of the Republic Ambassador.  Inside sat a Kel Dor.  It was difficult to tell Kel Dor gender.  They wore masks that covered much of their face due to special breathing requirements.  The ambassador said in a mechanically filtered voice that sounded feminine, “Come in Generals.  Can you give me an account of what occurred in the plaza?  Many soldiers tell the tale of an unprovoked Selkath massacre, but I know their biases.  I trust a Jedi to be fair.”  Bastila bowed her head respectfully, and Juhani and I followed suit.  Then Bastila recounted the events in the square yet again.  The Kel Dor seemed to hum thoughtfully and then finally replied, “The soldiers will not be happy about it, but I will draft a formal apology to the Selkath for this incident.  I wish they had shown greater restraint, but our forces were responsible for this incident as were those of the Sith.”  Bastila nodded reluctantly and said, “I agree Madame Ambassador.  If it is possible, I would like to attend this meeting with my Knights.”  The Ambassador inclined her head deferentially.  The meeting was not to be held until tomorrow.

Bastila and Juhani went off to their chambers to get some sleep, but I was hopelessly awake.  I knew that nightmares awaited me if I fell asleep, so I walked.  The halls of the Republic embassy were richly furnished with walls painted in Republic colors, and intricate wood carvings.  But such diplomatic niceties afforded to embassies were starkly in contrast with the contents of the embassy.  It was far closer to a military base, as though the Republic expected treachery.  Hundreds of troops were stationed about with some halls containing cots for soldiers to sleep on.  Crates of kolto were hoarded and stockpiled all around.  And automated turrets were present both outside and within the embassy.  It was as though someone had quickly converted the structure into a makeshift stronghold.  I chose to go speak with the military commander on site.  He was an older man with a wicked scar running down his face.  I met him right outside the base talking with some of his officers.  He took a look at me and said, “Ah, the Jedi.  I hear that the Ambassador is issuing a censure to my troops.  Denying that it was the Selkaths’ fault when they massacred our boys.  Your thoughts?”  He sneered at me.  I held his gaze steadily and said, “I was there sir.  Both your soldiers and those of the Sith were at fault.”  He spit on the ground and replied, “Pretty Jedi like yourself in your pretty little robes wouldn’t know a thing about real war.”  He then moved to turn away from me.  I narrowed my eyes angrily and turned the man around roughly, “Major.  I spent the last five years fighting as a lieutenant in the Republic Marines.  Now I am a Jedi and your commanding officer.  You will show me respect, or you will be booted out of the army damn quickly.  Your soldiers violated standing orders to avoid confrontation, direct orders from their Jedi General to disperse, fought in a brawl, brought and used blasters, nearly striking numerous civilians, and attempted to attack the Selkath peacekeepers who arrived on the scene.  Get your men in line.  Now.  I won’t ask again.”

I turned and walked back inside the base, leaving the blowhard fuming.  I would have to talk with the Ambassador and Bastila about having him relieved.  Such a commander isn’t fit to lead troops into battle and certainly not to maintain a peacekeeping force that is required to be orderly.  With nothing else to do, I finally made my way to my designated quarters.  The inside of the room was relatively plush.  Obviously reserved for dignitaries.  When I laid down on the bed, I felt myself sink into the mattress.  I chuckled realizing that since I could remember anything, I had never slept on a mattress like this.  I laid back and began to drift off to sleep.  _I saw Revan.  He stood on the bridge of a warship with Bastila standing by his side.  She said to him, “Our forces are pushing the Sith fleets back and we are preparing to besiege their Outer Rim citadel worlds.”  Revan nodded behind his mask and strode off the bridge purposefully.  The scene changed.  Revan and Bastila were fighting back to back on a battlefield.  Her green blade and his blue were a blur deflecting blaster fire.  Suddenly, Republic troops broke through to help the Jedi.  A Republic soldier shouted out, “For Revan!”  The scene changed again.  Thousands of Republic troops were stripping off their red and yellow armor and were putting on the black armor of the Sith as Revan and Malak watched.  Malak turned to me as though she could see me through my dream and said contemptuously, “You’re not fit to lead souls into combat.  You never could do what needed to be done.”_

I jolted awake with a cold sweat, gasping for breath.  Bastila was kneeling beside my bed with a concerned expression on her face.  As I kept gasping I asked, “Did I wake you?”  She shook her head and said, “No, no.  I couldn’t sleep.  Then I sensed your distress.  What occurred in your dream?”  I told her about what I had seen.  She seemed as puzzled by the meaning as I was.  I put my head in my hands and said exhaustedly, “When will I be free of Revan?  It feels like his ghost is haunting me.”  She grabbed my hands in hers and looked me in the eyes.  She then said, “I don’t know Cal.  I just know that I’ll be there to help.”  I felt tears moisten my cheeks and Bastila hugged me tightly.

I didn’t sleep any longer that night and simply ran through a series of exercise drills until the morning came and it was time for our meeting.  Bastila, Juhani, and I along with a trooper escort of twenty soldiers, and the ambassador herself made our way through the city towards the Selkath governmental district.  It was not very far from the Republic embassy.  Selkath troops were ever-present in the district and the Order of Shasa patrolled the streets.  Whenever we passed them, my fellow Jedi and I bowed our heads in respect.  They returned the gesture.  Finally, we stood before the High Court.  It was a visually stunning complex.  Yet simplistic with its curving walls that gave the impression of lapping waves when the light of Manaan’s sun shone off it.  We walked inside the building and found ourselves within a large chamber.  At the head of the chamber stood a stage of elevated podiums that held six Selkath.  My readings indicated that these were the High Court of Manaan.  They had final say on all matters related to their planet.  Powerful arbiters.  If a majority could not be found, there were seven lower judges that would break the tie.  Our entire party halted at around the mid-point of the room and bowed to the arbiters.  Our guards had been forced to hand over their weapons at the door.  We Jedi had been allowed to keep our weapons as a courtesy and likely due to our help in the earlier debacle.  But over twenty Shasa stood in front of the arbiters, and at least one hundred Selkath troops stood guard in the room.  The Kel Dor ambassador stepped forward and said in her mechanized voice, “I would like to humbly apologize on behalf of the Republic for the trouble caused by some troublemakers in your central square.  Steps have been taken through the discipline and retraining of our embassy guards to ensure that this incident is never again repeated.  But we feel that the regrettable loss of life was suitable punishment without imperiling Republic citizens across the galaxy with Kolto quotas and rises in tariffs.  We beg the Court for leniency in this matter.”  I heard muttered grumblings from the soldiers but sent a stern look to several which quieted them down.  The Selkath seemed to talk amongst themselves and likely took a preliminary vote.  The most senior justice spoke loudly through a small voice amplifier placed on her podium and said, “Both Republic and Sith are responsible for the imperiling of Selkath peoples and the breaking of the peace.  We are willing to forego punitive trade acts against both parties.  But no more than ten guards from either group may leave their embassies at a time.  And never with weapons or armor except when guarding their ambassadors and officials.”  The ambassador practically sighed in relief and said, “You are most gracious ambassador.  We will be sure to follow these new regulations and hope that you can convince the Sith to follow them as well.  The Republic seeks peace on Manaan and throughout the galaxy.”

Behind us, we heard the Sith enter the chamber as well.  At the head of the Sith’s twenty soldiers, were a Sith Lady and her acolyte wearing their dark black robes.  The woman appeared to be a red-skinned Sith herself.  I had read that some of their race had been powerful enough with the Force to join their new overlords.  But her presence here was not a good sign and I sensed that something was amiss.  Beside her shockingly was a Selkath acolyte wearing the robes of a Sith.  It seemed as though the Sith entourage was purposely trying to provoke the High Court.  Several Selkath had opted to join either the Jedi or the Sith, but the Court always frowned on this action and it was expected for the Selkath to leave this world.  The Sith Lady said haughtily, “We’ve been informed of your terms Arbiter Shelkar.  And I am pleased to inform you that the Sith Empire rejects them summarily.”  The Selkath Arbiter seemed shocked and responded, “You do realize that this attitude will incur trade restrictions against you and our forces will enact our orders regardless.”  The Sith sneered and said, “I don’t think so.”  She and her apprentice then ignited their red blades.  This had apparently been some kind of prearranged signal.  The Sith escort drew hidden blasters from shoe holsters.  But what was truly shocking was when our own troops did so as well.  The troops began to pour fire into the ranks of the Selkath troops.  Bastila and Juhani acted quickly igniting their lightsabers and grabbing the ambassador.  The two placed her in an alcove protected by a low wall.  Juhani stayed there with her lightsaber drawn to protect her.  Meanwhile, I had drawn my own blade and began to battle the Republic troops that had betrayed us.  I deflected their blasts and cut through their armor until only a few soldiers remained and they were rapidly gunned down by the Selkath honor guard.  But the Sith troops were making significant headway.  The Sith troopers had massacred many of the Selkath soldiers who had been taken by surprise.  The Shasa held their position but were being hard pressed by the oncoming Sith.  I leapt forward and turned in the air with my back to the Shasa, between them and the oncoming Sith.  The Sith Lady paused for a moment with a sneer, but her acolyte continued forward and clashed blades with me.  His strikes were the clumsy attempts of an amateur.  His chaotic Shii-Cho was no match for my Djem So blocks and heavy counters.  Within five strikes, I had rendered his lightsaber into a useless pile of slag.  I then used the Force to lift and push him across the room.  The Sith Lady herself seemed to be hesitant about what to do next, when the roof of the building was blown out.  Rubble rained down, but I managed to levitate the bulk of it away from the Selkath High Court, the Shasa, the Ambassador, and my friends.  I saw the Sith did the same for her troops.  But she left her acolyte to be crushed by the falling metal.  He had failed her.

The room was filled with chaos, as Sith troopers repelled down the walls with grappling hooks, shooting at the Selkath as they went.  Six more Sith Lords leapt down into the room.  One was a purple-skinned Twi’lek.  There were three humans, two male and one female.  And a Quarren.  They all ignited their red blades.  I yelled back to the Shasa, “Evacuate the High Council!  We can handle this!”  The Selkath looked uncertain, but they ushered the arbiters through a hidden door that opened up behind the podium.  Bastila, Juhani, and the ambassador rushed over as well.  A reptilian looking Sith from a species I didn’t recognize, blocked their path and attacked Bastila with his red saber.  In three strikes, she had sliced through the Sith’s chest and continued with the others towards the tunnel.  Juhani and the ambassador ran inside, but Bastila waited for me.  I turned back to her and shouted, “Go!  I’ll hold them back for now!”  She shook her head and was about to run over when I said, “You need to organize the Republic and Selkath defense of Manaan!  I’m needed here to help you escape!”  I saw a tear roll down her cheek and she ran down the tunnel.  I used the Force to close the door and plunged my lightsaber into the control panel sealing their exit for a short time. 


End file.
